| | |
| Mexico arrests head of teacher's union on fraud charges Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 08:11 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico arrested the head of the main teachers' union on fraud and embezzlement charges on Tuesday, striking out at a high-profile opponent of the new government's reform efforts and seeking to assert President Enrique Pena Nieto's authority. Attorney General Jesus Murillo said Elba Esther Gordillo was arrested on suspicion of embezzling millions of dollars of union funds for private use, just a day after Pena Nieto signed a major overhaul of Mexican education into law. ... Full Story | Top |
| Protests mark anniversary of Trayvon Martin's shooting death Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 08:07 PM PST SANFORD, Fla./NEW YORK (Reuters) - Demonstrators symbolically wearing hoodies gathered in New York, Florida and California on Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, reviving a national discussion on gun laws and racial profiling. Actor Jamie Foxx joined Martin's parents and several hundred protesters for a candlelight vigil in New York City's Union Square, while a smaller crowd estimated at 110 to 125 met at a park in the Florida town where Martin died, vowing to continue to agitate for an end to racial discrimination. ... Full Story | Top |
| Shooting at South Carolina university wounds one: school Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 08:00 PM PST Charleston, South Carolina (Reuters) - At least one person was wounded in a shooting Tuesday at a residence hall of a South Carolina university near the resort area of Myrtle Beach, the university said. Students were urged to remain in their dorm rooms at Coastal Carolina University in Conway but the gunman was believed to have fled, school officials said. The shooting occurred just before 7:30 p.m. at University Place, a residence hall. "The suspect fled in a vehicle. The campus is still on lockdown, although people in classrooms were allowed to go home. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. considers sending aid to Syrian rebels: report Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 07:51 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House is considering a shift in policy toward the nearly two-year-long conflict in Syria, and may send the rebels body armor and armed vehicles, and possibly provide military training, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing U.S. and European officials. Secretary of State John Kerry was expected to discuss the proposed policy change with officials during his nine-nation tour of European and Arab capitals, the newspaper said. U.S. officials remain opposed to sending weapons to the rebels, it said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama cites Navy threat, immigrants freed as budget cuts loom Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 07:40 PM PST  NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Tuesday warned of threats to Navy readiness and the government released hundreds of illegal immigrants due to budget pressure as automatic government spending cuts crept closer. In the latest event staged by the White House to warn of the possible damage to public services, Obama spoke at the Newport News Shipbuilding shipyard where scheduled maintenance to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has been delayed by the budget crisis. ... Full Story | Top |
| New Jersey gets online gambling as governor signs revised bill Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 07:34 PM PST  (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Tuesday approved online gambling within the state's border, a move that he hopes can help boost state revenues and revive Atlantic City casinos. The measure, announced the same day that Christie unveiled his new budget plan for fiscal 2014, will legalize Internet gaming to New Jersey's 9 million residents and also create opportunities for European companies with expertise in running online gaming operations. ... Full Story | Top |
| California couple feared missing in Peru turn up on safe on river boat Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 07:22 PM PST  LIMA (Reuters) - A young California couple feared by family to have been abducted while on a cycling trip through Peru have safely surfaced on a river boat headed for Ecuador, surprised to learn they were subjects of an international search, the Peruvian government said on Tuesday. "The American tourists are continuing to enjoy their trip in the Peruvian Amazon," the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism said in a statement, adding that a national police official had spoken with the couple and found them to be "in good health. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gun control supporter wins Chicago House race Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 07:10 PM PST  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Gun control supporter and former Illinois state Representative Robin Kelly on Tuesday won the Democratic primary to replace indicted former U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. in a race that highlighted the national debate over gun violence. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a champion of tighter restrictions on weapons, poured more than $2 million into the Chicago race. He backed Kelly and attacked her main opponent, Debbie Halvorson, who was supported by the gun rights lobby. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pratt rules out worst-case cause for F-35 blade crack: sources Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 06:36 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pratt & Whitney is 99 percent sure the fan blade problem that grounded the Pentagon's 51 new F-35 fighter jets was not caused by high-cycle fatigue, which could force a costly design change, according to two sources familiar with an investigation by the enginemaker. Company engineers have concluded that a 0.6 inch-long crack found on a turbine blade in the engine of an F-35 jet at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida was almost certainly caused by lesser issues, such as high heat exposure or a manufacturing problem, that would be easier to solve, the sources said. ... Full Story | Top |
| American, US Airways executives face gentle questioning in Congress Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 06:24 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Executives from American Airlines and US Airways Group Inc on Tuesday faced gentle questions from lawmakers about their planned merger, with some expressing concern about losing hubs in their districts. US Airways Executive Vice President Stephen Johnson and American Airlines General Counsel Gary Kennedy defended the proposed $11 billion transaction by saying the companies had largely complementary networks, so little competition would be lost. The Justice Department's Antitrust Division will review the deal to ensure it complies with antitrust law. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sequester could force states to cut budgets, hike taxes Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 06:11 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. states could have to cut their spending or raise taxes to make up for the loss of $5.8 billion of federal funds this fiscal year under the sequester set to begin in three days, the National Conference of State Legislatures said on Tuesday. All states except Vermont must balance their budgets. When they have lower revenues than expected or when demand for programs such as unemployment benefits spikes, they must raise taxes or move funds from other areas to avoid budget gaps. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Impact of across-the-board U.S. budget cuts Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 06:11 PM PST (Reuters) - Deep U.S. budget cuts are due to kick in Friday unless Congress acts to stop them, which is unlikely. The $85 billion in across-the-board cuts, mandated by a 2011 deficit reduction law, apply in equal measure to defense and non-defense spending. The do not apply to about 70 percent of the money spent by the U.S. government, which includes Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and interest on government debt. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy debt auction to show cost of political crisis Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 06:00 PM PST MILAN (Reuters) - Italy will pay the price for its latest political crisis with higher borrowing costs on Wednesday when it sells longer-dated bonds to investors worried about an inconclusive election. The vote cast over the weekend gave none of the political parties a parliamentary majority, raising the risk of prolonged instability and a rekindling the euro zone crisis. The results, notably the dramatic surge of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement of comic Beppe Grillo, left the center-left bloc with a majority in the lower house but without the numbers to control the upper chamber. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy parties seek way out of election stalemate Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 06:00 PM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Italy's stunned political parties searched for a way forward on Tuesday after an inconclusive election gave none of them a parliamentary majority and threatened prolonged instability and a renewal of the European financial crisis. The results, notably the dramatic surge of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement of comic Beppe Grillo, left the center-left bloc with a majority in the lower house but without the numbers to control the upper chamber, the Senate. ... Full Story | Top |
| Grillo supporters unfazed by Italian political gridlock Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 06:00 PM PST ROME (Reuters) - The only Italians celebrating the deadlocked outcome of Monday's election were supporters of comic Beppe Grillo, whose 5-Star Movement steamrolled into parliament and sparked fears that Italy could reject austerity and even the euro. No group secured a majority in the upper house, making the formation of a government dependent on post-election alliances, but Grillo's movement caused a shock by winning 8.7 million votes in the lower house, making it the country's largest single party and shocking world investors. ... Full Story | Top |
| Grand jury decides no charges against New Jersey's "Tan Mom" Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 05:47 PM PST (Reuters) - The case of the deeply bronzed New Jersey woman known as "Tan Mom" appears destined to fade away. A grand jury declined to indict her on child endangerment charges, a prosecutor said on Tuesday. Patricia Krentcil was arrested in April 2012 after her then 5-year-old daughter showed up at school with a sunburn and officials accused her of taking the child into a tanning booth. At the time, the blonde mother's chocolate-brown hue testified to many hours spent under the intense ultraviolet light of a tanning bed or out in the sun soaking up rays. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate panel backs Lew for Treasury secretary Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 05:38 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday backed President Barack Obama's nominee to head the U.S. Treasury, Jack Lew, despite some concerns about his perks from previous employers, clearing the way for a confirmation vote in the full Senate. With the 19-5 vote, about half the panel's 11 Republicans opposed Lew's nomination. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said he was hoping to consider Lew's nomination on Wednesday, but was still seeking agreement with Republicans. ... Full Story | Top |
| Here, there and everywhere, Republican Senator Graham gets around Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 05:35 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lindsey Graham isn't everywhere in Washington these days. It just seems that way. In a politically divided town where compromise can be fleeting and partisanship is the norm, the Republican senator from South Carolina has become a leading voice on nearly every major issue before Congress this year - partly because he has not always followed his party's official stances. ... Full Story | Top |
| Arkansas governor vetoes bill banning abortions at 20 weeks Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 05:29 PM PST LITTLE ROCK, AR (Reuters) - Democratic Governor Mike Beebe on Tuesday vetoed a bill to ban most abortions in Arkansas at 20 weeks into pregnancy, though state lawmakers can override his decision with a simple majority vote. The measure, which had been approved by an 80 to 10 vote in the state House and by a 25 to 7 vote in the state Senate, would provide exceptions only in cases of rape, incest or to save a mother's life. It is one of several bills introduced by Republicans this year seeking to restrict abortion. ... Full Story | Top |
| Police say woman, 22, is "person of interest" in Vegas shooting Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 05:25 PM PST  (Reuters) - Police identified a 22-year-old woman on Tuesday as a "person of interest" in the slaying of an aspiring rapper who was shot and killed while driving his Maserati on the Las Vegas strip and for the deaths of two more people in a fiery crash that ensued. Las Vegas police said Tineesha Lashun Howard was riding in a black Range Rover with prime suspect Ammar Harris when he opened fire on the Maserati being driven by 27-year-old Kenneth Wayne Cherry Jr. before dawn on Thursday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Struggling Slovenia set to get new PM to rescue economy Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 05:07 PM PST  ZAGREB (Reuters) - Financial expert Alenka Bratusek is expected to get a one-year mandate to pull Slovenia back from the brink of a financial bailout as parliament votes on Wednesday to oust conservative Prime Minister Janez Jansa. Parliament's scheduled "constructive no-confidence vote" takes place at the height of a financial crisis in the tiny Alpine euro zone member, which is struggling with a recession and a huge amount of bad loans strangling its banks. ... Full Story | Top |
| California couple reported missing in Peru turn up on boat Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 04:55 PM PST (Reuters) - A young California couple who were reported to be missing and feared kidnapped while on a cycling trip through Peru have turned up on a river boat in the Andean nation, the mother of one of the pair said in an online statement posted on Tuesday. Peru's tourism ministry issued a separate statement from Lima, the capital, saying, "the American tourists are continuing to enjoy their trip in the Peruvian Amazon" and were safely on their way by river boat north to the border with Ecuador. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate approves Hagel as new secretary of defense Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 04:36 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate confirmed Chuck Hagel as President Barack Obama's new secretary of defense on Tuesday, after an unusually acrimonious confirmation fight that threatened to complicate his work as civilian leader at the Pentagon. The Senate voted 58-41 to confirm the former Republican senator, the closest vote ever to approve a defense secretary. ... Full Story | Top |
| Meat plant shutdowns inevitable in budget cuts: USDA Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 04:19 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. meat packers and processors face short-term shutdowns because of impending federal budget cuts but the administration will try to minimize the impact on the industry and consumers, the Agriculture Department said on Tuesday. The automatic cuts, also called sequestration, are due to take effect on Friday because Congress and the White House are unable to agree on other ways to reduce the federal deficit. USDA says the cuts would force it to lay off its 8,400 meat inspectors for 15 days to produce the savings ordered for its food safety agency. ... Full Story | Top |
| Supreme Court to weigh ongoing validity of voting rights law Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 04:13 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Wednesday will consider whether to strike down a key provision of a federal law designed to protect minority voters. During the one-hour oral argument, the nine justices will hear the claim made by officials from Shelby County, Alabama, that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is no longer needed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dennis Rodman gets his "Gangnam Style" mixed up in Pyongyang Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 04:13 PM PST  SEOUL (Reuters) - Former NBA star Dennis Rodman appears to have mixed up his Koreas on a visit to Pyongyang, tweeting that he expected to run into South Korean rapper Psy on his trip to the North. Rodman, famed for his tattoos, piercings and radical hair colours from his time on court, arrived in North Korea on Tuesday to shoot some hoops and a documentary to be aired on HBO in April. "Maybe I'll run into the Gangnam Style dude while I'm here," the 51-year old tweeted (@dennisrodman) after his arrival. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada regulators to propose extended poison pills Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 04:12 PM PST TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian securities regulators want to change the rules on takeover defenses to make it more difficult for hostile bidders to buy Canadian companies, according to officials and lawyers briefed on the matter. The plan, due to be published in draft form on March 14, is designed to bring more coherence to Canada's regulatory regime after conflicting provincial rulings on so-called "poison pill" defenses to fend off unwanted suitors, the sources said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Seven killed by Islamist car bomb in north Mali: MNLA Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 04:02 PM PST BAMAKO (Reuters) - Seven people were killed in a suicide car bomb attack by suspected Islamist militants in the remote northern Malian town of Kidal on Tuesday, the MNLA Tuareg rebel group said, in the second such attack there in less than a week. A spokesman for the Malian army, Modibo Nama Traore, confirmed that a car bomb had exploded in the town but was unable to provide further details. ... Full Story | Top |
| Four Spanish lenders set to pass properties to bad bank Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 03:55 PM PST  MADRID (Reuters) - Four mid-sized Spanish banks are poised to transfer 14 billion euros ($18.30 billion) of soured property assets to a government-backed "bad bank", which on Tuesday issued bonds to give to the banks as payment and completed a capital hike. The bad bank, known as Sareb, was launched at the end of 2012 as a condition of a 40-billion-euro European rescue of the country's ailing lenders. ... Full Story | Top |
| American, U.S. Airways executives face gentle questioning in Congress Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 03:54 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Executives from American Airlines and US Airways Group Inc on Tuesday faced gentle questions from lawmakers about their planned merger, with some expressing concern about losing hubs in their districts. US Airways Executive Vice President Stephen Johnson and American Airlines General Counsel Gary Kennedy defended the proposed $11 billion transaction by saying the companies had largely complementary networks, so little competition would be lost. The Justice Department's Antitrust Division will review the deal to ensure it complies with antitrust law. ... Full Story | Top |
| Immigrants freed, Obama cites Navy threat as cuts loom Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 03:51 PM PST NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Tuesday warned of threats to Navy readiness and a storm broke over the government releasing hundreds of illegal immigrants due to budget pressure as "sequestration" spending cuts crept closer. In the latest event staged by the White House to warn of the possible damage to public services, Obama spoke at the Newport News Shipbuilding shipyard where scheduled maintenance to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has been delayed due to the budget crisis. ... Full Story | Top |
| Protests mark anniversary of Trayvon Martin death Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 03:49 PM PST  SANFORD, Florida/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Demonstrators symbolically wearing hoodies gathered in New York and Florida on Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, reviving a national discussion on gun laws and racial profiling. Neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman shot and killed Martin, 17, in the Orlando suburb of Sanford on February 26, 2012, and initially went free based on his claims of self-defense. But a national outcry forced the city's police chief to resign and the governor to appoint a special prosecutor. ... Full Story | Top |
| In separating gun-control bills, Democrats reveal strategy Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 03:39 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats in the Senate have spread his gun-control proposals across four bills in an effort to get at least some of the less controversial measures - such as expanded background checks for gun buyers - passed into law. The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote as early as Thursday on the bills, which together amount to an acknowledgement by Democrats that a ban on military-style "assault" weapons is unlikely to clear Congress. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senator McCain upbeat on immigration reform outlook Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 03:37 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator John McCain on Tuesday predicted that efforts to craft a wide-ranging, bipartisan immigration reform bill would come together promptly in the Senate, which could eliminate the need for President Barack Obama to propose his own measure. The Arizona Republican lawmaker, who is one of the negotiators on a bipartisan measure, emerged from a meeting with President Barack Obama upbeat about prospects in Congress. "We are committed to trying to get the issue resolved as quickly as possible and I think we will ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Powers wait to hear Iran response to nuclear offer Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 03:12 PM PST  ALMATY (Reuters) - World powers hope Iran will respond positively on Wednesday to their new offer to lift some sanctions if Tehran scales back nuclear activity the West fears could be used to build bombs. The United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia presented the offer when their first meeting with Iran in eight months began in Almaty on Tuesday and the Islamic state was considering it, the powers' spokesman said. Western officials described the first day of talks as "useful". ... Full Story | Top |
| House Republican focuses on tax reform but sees no quick fix Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 03:00 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Republican tax legislator on Tuesday renewed a vow to try overhauling the complex federal tax code this year, but he said no actual legislation would be forthcoming soon. Dave Camp, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, said that major tax reform remains his top 2013 goal. "We have to build this legislation. This is not a bill we are ready to roll out," Camp told reporters at a briefing. "It is certainly not going to be in the next six weeks. ... Full Story | Top |
| FINRA to appeal Charles Schwab class-action ban ruling Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 02:59 PM PST (Reuters) - The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority will appeal a ruling that allowed Charles Schwab Corp to require customers to waive their right to participate in class-action suits, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday. "We are in the process of filing an appeal," a FINRA spokeswoman told Reuters in an emailed statement. The decision comes after a hearing panel decision last Thursday that upheld Schwab's late 2011 move to require clients to waive their class-action rights. Schwab's action violates FINRA's rules, but the rules themselves violate the National Arbitration Act, the panel found. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chicago votes in House race dominated by guns issue Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 02:41 PM PST  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago area voters went to the polls on Tuesday to choose a Democrat to succeed former Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. in a primary election partly bankrolled by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a champion of tighter gun control. The special election is to fill the seat of Jackson Jr, who resigned last November citing health problems, and pleaded guilty in federal court last week to using campaign funds for personal enrichment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Judge puts AIG/New York Fed case on hold, BofA still on Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 02:40 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge has put American International Group Inc's dispute with a financial crisis-era bailout vehicle on hold while another court addresses the insurer's separate $10 billion lawsuit against Bank of America Corp over defective mortgages. In rejecting AIG's effort to litigate quickly against the Maiden Lane II vehicle created by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said that "on the face of it" some of the New York Fed's and Maiden Lane's actions "perhaps are unattractive and, indeed, wrongful. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. releases hundreds of detained immigrants over budget concerns Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 02:35 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A government agency has released hundreds of illegal immigrants from detention due to budget uncertainties, as the "sequestration" budget cuts begin to bite. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has facilities that can detain up to 34,000 people around the country, released "several hundred" people while their deportation cases proceed, ICE spokeswoman Gillian Christensen said. Mandatory budget cuts government-wide, known as sequestration, are scheduled to begin on March 1. ... Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment