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| South Korea budgets for sunnier ties with reclusive North Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 07:55 PM PST  SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea has increased its budget to fund North Korea-related projects this year, government data showed on Thursday, with a new president seeking closer relations due to take office in Seoul and signs of an opening from Pyongyang. The two Koreas remain technically at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended with a truce, not a treaty, and relations plunged under South Korean President Lee Myung-bak who cut aid dramatically after the shooting of a South Korean tourist in the North in 2008. ... Full Story | Top |
| Governor sues NCAA over Penn State sex scandal Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 06:03 PM PST  (Reuters) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett filed a lawsuit on Wednesday demanding that sanctions imposed on Penn State University over the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal be thrown out, saying they threatened to devastate the state's economy. Corbett called the sanctions imposed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, which include an unprecedented $60 million fine, "overreaching and unlawful. ... Full Story | Top |
| UPDATE 5-Governor sues NCAA over Penn State sex scandal Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 06:00 PM PST Jan 2 (Reuters) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett filed a lawsuit on Wednesday demanding that sanctions imposed on Penn State University over the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal be thrown out, saying they threatened to devastate the state's economy. Corbett called the sanctions imposed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, which include an unprecedented $60 million fine, "overreaching and unlawful. ... Full Story | Top |
| Child support claim rankles sperm donor to lesbian couple Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 05:47 PM PST KANSAS CITY, Kansas (Reuters) - A Kansas man who donated sperm to a lesbian couple so they could have a child said on Wednesday he is shocked the state is now trying to make him pay child support. William Marotta, 46, donated sperm to Jennifer Schreiner and Angela Bauer under a written agreement that he would not be considered the father of the child nor liable for child support. A daughter, now 3, was born to Schreiner. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tax break extension breathes new life into U.S. wind power Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 05:28 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The U.S. wind industry is powering up once again after Congress extended a critical tax credit that wind companies say will save tens of thousands of domestic jobs and allow more clean energy projects to ramp up this year. About half of the sector's 75,000 jobs in the United States had been expected to disappear if the wind production tax credit had been allowed to expire at the end of last year, according to trade group the American Wind Energy Association. ... Full Story | Top |
| Illinois lawmakers begin considering approval of gay marriage Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 05:26 PM PST CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois lawmakers began considering a measure on Wednesday that would make President Barack Obama's home state the 10th in the nation to legalize gay marriage. Supporters and opponents furiously lobbied lawmakers as a leading sponsor of the proposal pressed for a quick vote in the state Senate. The "lame duck" session is the final meeting before a newly elected legislature takes office later in January. ... Full Story | Top |
| After "fiscal cliff," U.S. conservatives eye Republican primaries Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 05:22 PM PST  CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress prevented hefty tax hikes and spending cuts with a "fiscal cliff" deal this week, but grassroots conservatives are already seeking 2014 primary challengers for high-profile Republican lawmakers who backed the deal. Few challengers have yet come forward. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boehner sets House votes on Sandy aid after Republican attacks Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 04:43 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House Speaker John Boehner abruptly reversed course on Wednesday and set a timetable to approve $60 billion in Superstorm Sandy relief, after fellow Republicans including New Jersey Governor Chris Christie heaped scorn on his cancellation of an earlier vote. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives will now vote on Friday on a $9 billion down payment for storm-related support to the National Flood Insurance Program. ... Full Story | Top |
| Clinton discharged from hospital, doctors expect full recovery Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 04:35 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was discharged from a New York hospital on Wednesday after being treated for a blood clot near her brain and her doctors expect her to make a full recovery, the State Department said. Clinton, who has not been seen in public since December 7, was at New York-Presbyterian Hospital under treatment for a blood clot behind her right ear that stemmed from a concussion she suffered in mid-December, the department said on Sunday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate panel to examine CIA contacts with "Zero Dark Thirty" filmmakers Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 04:13 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - After the Senate Intelligence Committee's chairwoman expressed outrage over scenes that imply "enhanced interrogations" of CIA detainees produced a breakthrough in the hunt for Osama bin Laden, the panel has begun a review of contacts between the makers of the film "Zero Dark Thirty" and CIA officials. In the latest controversy surrounding the film, Reuters has learned that the committee will examine records charting contacts between intelligence officials and the film's director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pennsylvania suit against NCAA a long shot: experts Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:55 PM PST  (Reuters) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett faces serious obstacles to winning his antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA over the harsh sanctions it imposed on Penn State in the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal, legal experts said on Wednesday. While targeting the National Collegiate Athletic Association may be popular politically in a state where Penn State football is widely loved, the federal court handling the case might rule that the state lacks standing to bring the lawsuit in the first place, experts said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pennsylvania suit against NCAA a long shot, experts say Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:52 PM PST Jan 2 (Reuters) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett faces serious obstacles to winning his antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA over the harsh sanctions it imposed on Penn State in the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal, legal experts said on Wednesday. While targeting the National Collegiate Athletic Association may be popular politically in a state where Penn State football is widely loved, the federal court handling the case might rule that the state lacks standing to bring the lawsuit in the first place, experts said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Google's executive chairman plans North Korea trip - AP Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:52 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, one of the highest-profile leaders of the U.S. technology industry, will travel to North Korea this year, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday. Schmidt's visit, which AP said might take place as soon as this month, comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called this week for an end to confrontation with South Korea, with which the country is technically still at war. It was unclear whom Schmidt will meet or what his agenda might be, the AP reported. ... Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela's opposition demands "whole truth" about Chavez health Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:52 PM PST  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's opposition on Wednesday demanded the government tell "the whole truth" about the health of cancer-stricken President Hugo Chavez, who has not been heard from in three weeks after undergoing a grueling operation in Cuba. Officials have acknowledged the usually garrulous former soldier's health is delicate after his fourth cancer surgery in 18 months, but they have offered scant details on his condition. He has not spoken in public in more than three weeks. ... Full Story | Top |
| NY newspaper hires armed guards after publishing gun permit names Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:49 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - A suburban New York newspaper that ignited a furor by publishing the identities of thousands of residents who hold gun licenses has hired armed security to guard its staff after receiving an intimidating e-mail, a police report said. Among a "large amount of negative correspondence" that White Plains, New York-based Journal News has received since publishing permit holders' names was one e-mail in which the sender "wondered what would get in her mail next," according to a Clarkstown, New York, police report obtained by Reuters on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bigger fights loom after "fiscal cliff" deal Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:49 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans face even bigger budget battles in the next two months after a hard-fought "fiscal cliff" deal narrowly averted devastating tax hikes and spending cuts. The agreement, approved late on Tuesday by the Republican-led House of Representatives, was a victory for Obama, who had won re-election in November on a promise to address budget woes, partly by raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chicago couple eagerly awaits Illinois gay marriage vote Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:45 PM PST CHICAGO (Reuters) - Theresa Volpe and Mercedes Santos' 8-year-old daughter, Ava, has learned about the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s in school. So her school friends understand when she tells them her two moms are fighting for their civil rights to marry -- it's just hard to explain it to grown-ups sometimes, Volpe and Santos say. "This is really for our kids," said Volpe, who along with Santos are plaintiffs in a lawsuit demanding same sex marriage in Illinois. "It's important for them to be treated fairly. We're just as much a family as any other family. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hillary Clinton discharged from N.Y. hospital: State Department Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:41 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was discharged from hospital on Wednesday after being treated for a blood clot in a vein behind her right ear, and her doctors expect her to make a full recovery, a State Department spokesman said. "Her medical team advised her that she is making good progress on all fronts, and they are confident she will make a full recovery," said Philippe Reines in a statement. "She's eager to get back to the office, and we will keep you updated on her schedule as it becomes clearer in the coming days," he said. ... Full Story | Top |
| CEOs pan fiscal cliff deal, vow to continue debt fight Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:36 PM PST  (Reuters) - U.S. executives largely panned the congressional deal to steer America away from the "fiscal cliff," saying Washington wasted an opportunity to address the nation's long-term debt, but said they would continue to agitate for a better budget plan. While CEOs expressed relief that $600 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts will not kick the fragile economy in the gut, their gratitude was salted with insults. "I think this deal's a disaster," said Peter Huntsman, chief executive of chemical producer Huntsman Corp. "We're just living in a fantasy land. ... Full Story | Top |
| Budget deal leaves U.S. defense sector in limbo Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 03:02 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pentagon officials and weapons makers on Wednesday expressed relief after Congress approved a two-month delay in huge budget cuts, but warned that a longer-term fiscal solution is urgently needed to lift the uncertainty hanging over the sector. "Congress has prevented the worst possible outcome by delaying sequestration for two months. Unfortunately, the cloud of sequestration remains," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in a statement. "Congress cannot continue to just kick the can down the road. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. lifts Syria death toll to "truly shocking" 60,000 Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 02:58 PM PST  AMMAN/GENEVA (Reuters) - More than 60,000 people have died in Syria's uprising and civil war, the United Nations said on Wednesday, dramatically raising the death toll in a struggle that shows no sign of ending. In the latest violence, dozens were killed in a rebellious Damascus suburb when a government air strike turned a petrol station into an inferno, incinerating drivers who had rushed there for a rare chance to fill their tanks, activists said. "I counted at least 30 bodies. They were either burnt or dismembered," said Abu Saeed, an activist who arrived in the area an hour after the 1 ... Full Story | Top |
| "Fiscal cliff" deal extends New York rebuilding bonds Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 02:51 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional lawmakers added a provision into legislation on avoiding the U.S. "fiscal cliff" that extends for two years issuance of Liberty Bonds, the debt authorized after the September 11, 2001, attacks to help rebuild New York, according to a copy of the bill. Liberty Bonds are unlike many sold in the $3.7 trillion tax-exempt municipal bond market - they are issued by the New York Liberty Development Corporation to make loans to companies and they are solely secured by loan payments from those companies. ... Full Story | Top |
| New FAA head among appointments approved by Senate Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 02:42 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate late on Tuesday approved a number of key White House nominations to regulatory agencies, including the president's choice for the top job at Federal Aviation Administration that had been vacant for over a year. Michael Huerta was confirmed as FAA administrator for a five-year term after acting in that role since December 2011, when his predecessor resigned after being arrested and charged with drunk driving. ... Full Story | Top |
| Moody's says more steps needed to save U.S. credit rating Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 02:31 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States must do more than the recently passed "fiscal cliff" measures if the country is to rescue its Aaa debt rating from its current negative outlook, rating agency Moody's Investors Service said on Wednesday. Standard & Poor's said the deal does not affect its negative view of the U.S. credit outlook, and said more work remains ahead for policymakers. The last minute deal passed on Tuesday to avert potentially devastating tax hikes and spending cuts clarifies the medium-term deficit and debt trajectory of the federal government, Moody's said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| UPDATE 3-Governor sues NCAA over Penn State sex scandal Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 02:28 PM PST Jan 2 (Reuters) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett said on Wednesday he is seeking to have the costly sanctions levied by the NCAA against Penn State University over the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal thrown out, saying the punishment threatens to cause devastating damage to the state's residents and economy. The sanctions, which included an unprecedented $60 million fine, are "overreaching and unlawful," he said at a news conference in State College where the university is located. ... Full Story | Top |
| NY Times loses bid to uncover details on drone strikes Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 02:18 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday rejected The New York Times' bid to force the U.S. government to disclose more information about its targeted killing of people it believes have ties to terrorism, including American citizens. U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon in Manhattan said the Obama administration did not violate the law by refusing the Times' request for the legal justifications for targeted killings, a strategy the Times said was first contemplated by the Bush administration soon after the attacks of September 11, 2001. ... Full Story | Top |
| Wall Street starts new year with a bang after "cliff" deal Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 02:06 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks kicked off the new year with their best day in over a year on Wednesday, sparked by relief over a last-minute deal in Washington to avert the "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and spending cuts that threatened to derail the economy's growth. In 2013's first trading session, the S&P 500 achieved its biggest one-day gain since December 20, 2011, pushing the benchmark index to its highest close since September 14. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gun checks soar 39 percent, set new record: FBI Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 02:02 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of FBI background checks required for Americans buying guns set a record in December, indicating that more people may purchase one after the Connecticut school massacre stirred interest in self-defense and prompted renewed talk of limits on firearms, according to FBI data. The FBI said it recorded 2.78 million background checks during the month, surpassing the mark set in November of 2.01 million checks - about a 39 percent rise. The latest monthly figure was up 49 percent over December 2011, when the FBI performed a then-record 1.86 million checks. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. economy to row against austerity tide in 2013 Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 01:52 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington has steered clear of severe austerity measures for now, reducing the risk of recession, but a clutch of U.S. tax hikes will nevertheless be a drag on economic growth this year. The U.S. Congress approved a deal late on Tuesday to scale back some $600 billion in scheduled tax hikes and government spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff." Analysts said the package at least marked a temporary reprieve for the economy, and investors charged into U.S. stocks, pushing the Standard & Poor's 500 up 2.5 percent on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sandy Hook kids prepare for 1st school day since attack Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 01:24 PM PST  MONROE, Connecticut (Reuters) - Many of the children who escaped last month's massacre at a Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school got their first glimpse of their new school on Wednesday afternoon, welcomed to a building that has been decked out as a "Winter Wonderland" with the help of thousands of kids from around the world. More than 400 Sandy Hook Elementary School students in kindergarten through grade 4 will return to classes on Thursday for the first time since the December 14 attack. ... Full Story | Top |
| What fiscal cliff? Shoppers shrug off budget debate Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 01:21 PM PST  (Reuters) - The "fiscal cliff" drama that dominated the news and spooked businesses and financial markets did little to dampen spending by shoppers this holiday season. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows nearly three-quarters of Americans said the debate around the fiscal cliff had no impact on their holiday spending. Fewer than 20 percent of those polled said they spent less during the season than they did in the 2011 holidays, according to the poll. Holiday season sales overall - including December sales data from several chains due this week - were likely good, but not great. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hillary Clinton leaves New York hospital with family, aide Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 01:19 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was driven away from New York-Presbyterian hospital on Wednesday with her husband, Bill, and daughter, Chelsea, and an aide, a Reuters photographer witnessed. The four of them left the building and entered the same vehicle, which drove away. It was unclear where she was going or whether she was discharged from the hospital, where she was admitted for treatment of a blood clot. A hospital spokeswoman has directed all comment on Clinton to the State Department. (Reporting by Joshua Lott; Editing by Sandra Maler) Full Story | Top |
| Taboo on premarital sex can lead to tragedy in changing Oman Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 01:15 PM PST MUSCAT (Reuters) - When unmarried 19-year-old Sama got pregnant, she ran away from home to have an abortion rather than face family wrath. The young man who got her pregnant had refused to marry her, saying he could not afford the financial burden. So she went to share a room with a friend in a university hostel in the Omani capital Muscat, 450 km (280 miles) away from her hometown of Buraimi in the north of the Gulf Arab state. The abortionist was her friend's aunt, a 76-year-old woman who boasted that she had successfully terminated over 200 fetuses in a long, illegal career. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nominee to be Libyan foreign minister turns down the job Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 01:04 PM PST  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - The man proposed as Libya's foreign minister has rejected the post despite being cleared by an Integrity Commission which was asked to examine his ties to deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi. Ali Aujali, Libya's former ambassador to the United States was among eight of the 27 ministers nominated by Prime Minister Ali Zeidan who were referred to the commission, which studies the backgrounds of public officials, after protests outside congress over the makeup of his cabinet. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. worried about reports of air strikes in Myanmar Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 12:46 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern on Wednesday at reports of air strikes in Myanmar's Kachin State, where a 20-month conflict between government troops and rebels has been escalating. "(Ban) has taken serious note of the most recent reports indicating air strikes against targets in Kachin State," U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| House sets votes on Sandy storm aid: Rep. King Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 12:43 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on Friday on a down payment for federal disaster aid related to Superstorm Sandy to be followed later in the month with a vote on a larger chunk of funding, Representative Peter King said on Wednesday. King, a Republican from New York, which was hit hard by the gigantic storm, said House Speaker John Boehner has promised a vote on Friday on $9 billion in money for the federal flood insurance program to help victims. Another vote - on the remaining $51 billion in aid - would come on January 15, King said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Evidence in Colorado theater shooting to be revealed Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 12:03 PM PST  CENTENNIAL, Colo. (Reuters) - Evidence from a shooting in July in a Colorado movie theater, that killed 12 movie-goers and wounded 58, will be made public for the first time at a hearing next week, prosecutors said on Wednesday. The evidence will be presented to a district judge who will decide if there are sufficient grounds for James Holmes, accused of the shootings, to stand trial. Holmes, a 25-year-old former neuroscience graduate student, is charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder for the shooting rampage, in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado, on July 20. ... Full Story | Top |
| NJ Governor Christie blames Boehner for stall in Sandy relief Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 11:57 AM PST (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Wednesday blamed U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, a fellow Republican, for delaying a vote on federal disaster aid for Superstorm Sandy, calling the inaction "disappointing and disgusting." "There is only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent (storm) victims - the House majority, and their speaker, John Boehner," he told a news conference in Trenton, New Jersey. Christie said that he was doubtful lawmakers would vote on the $60.4 billion relief package before the new session begins on Thursday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Clinton speaking to staff on phone, receiving memos Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 11:43 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is being treated for a blood clot behind her right ear, has been talking with her staff by telephone and receiving memos, the State Department said on Wednesday. Clinton also spoke to two foreign officials - the U.N. envoy on Syria and the prime minister of Qatar - on Saturday, the day before the State Department disclosed the blood clot and her stay at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. "She's been quite active on the phone with staff and taking paper, etc.," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said at her daily briefing. ... Full Story | Top |
| Catholic Church closes London's gay-friendly "Soho Masses" Wednesday, Jan 02, 2013 11:18 AM PST (Reuters) - The Catholic Church will stop gay-friendly Masses in the central London church that has held them for the past six years, London's archbishop said on Wednesday. The 18th-century church in Soho, the heart of London's gay scene, has been hosting the twice-monthly Masses with the support of the local Church hierarchy, but Archbishop Vincent Nichols said in a statement that gay Catholics should attend Mass in their local parishes rather going to separate services. ... Full Story | Top |
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