| | |
| Special Report: The deeper agenda behind "Abenomics" Thursday, May 23, 2013 08:51 PM PDT  By Linda Sieg, Yuko Yoshikawa and Tetsushi Kajimoto TOKYO (Reuters) - When ill health and political gridlock forced Shinzo Abe to quit after one dismal year as Japan's prime minister, his pride was dented and his self-confidence battered. One thing, however, was intact: his commitment to a controversial conservative agenda centered on rewriting Japan's constitution. Conservatives see the 1947 pacifist charter, never once altered, as embodying a liberal social order imposed by the U.S. Occupation after Japan's defeat in World War Two. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boy Scouts of America votes to end century-old ban on gay scouts Thursday, May 23, 2013 07:55 PM PDT  By Marice Richter GRAPEVINE, Texas (Reuters) - The Boy Scouts of America voted on Thursday to lift a century-old ban on openly gay scouts in a major victory for gay rights activists, but the decision means a sea of change for an organization that depends heavily on faith-based groups. More than 60 percent of the group's National Council, comprised of some 1,400 delegates, voted in favor of ending the ban, effective January 1, 2014, the group said in a statement. A prohibition on openly gay adult leaders remains in place. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama nominates Senate aides to serve as SEC commissioners Thursday, May 23, 2013 07:54 PM PDT  By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama nominated two U.S. Senate aides on Thursday to serve as members of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the agency tasked with policing Wall Street. Obama said Kara Stein, an aide to Rhode Island Democratic Senator Jack Reed, would replace SEC Democratic Commissioner Elisse Walter. Michael Piwowar, an economist who works for the Senate Banking Committee, would replace SEC Republican Commissioner Troy Paredes, whose term is set to expire in June. The Senate must approve the nominations. ... Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela prosecutor to open probe over leaked recording Thursday, May 23, 2013 07:53 PM PDT  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's prosecutor's office said on Thursday it would open an investigation into in a recording the opposition says features a top government ally accusing the deputy head of the ruling Socialist Party of corruption and conspiring against the new president. Opposition deputies on Monday broadcast the recording of a conversation they said was between powerful state television commentator Mario Silva and a Cuban intelligence agent and later requested an investigation of it. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Key facts about Japan's constitution, proposed changes Thursday, May 23, 2013 07:25 PM PDT TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is making amending the pacifist, U.S.-drafted constitution one focus of his ruling party's campaign for July's upper house election. He hopes pro-revision parties will obtain the two-thirds majority that would pave the way for the first-ever revision to the 1947 charter. Following are some key facts about the constitution - which has never been revised - and changes proposed by Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). ... Full Story | Top |
| Pentagon sees doubled cost for rocket launch program Thursday, May 23, 2013 07:21 PM PDT  By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Thursday told Congress that a recent restructuring of its heavy rocket launch program to add 60 more launches and extend the schedule for a decade would more than double the program's projected cost to $70.7 billion. The Defense Department's annual report to Congress on major arms programs forecast an increase of $35.7 billion or 102 percent in the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, under which contractors provide launch services to lift big U.S. military, intelligence and NASA satellites into orbit. ... Full Story | Top |
| Arizona jury fails to decide if Jodi Arias should be executed Thursday, May 23, 2013 07:04 PM PDT  By Tim Gaynor PHOENIX (Reuters) - An Arizona jury failed on Thursday to reach a unanimous verdict on whether Jodi Arias should be put to death for the murder of her ex-boyfriend, prompting the judge to order a rerun of the sentencing phase of the trial. Arias, a former waitress from California, was found guilty this month of murdering Travis Alexander, whose body was found slumped in the shower of his Phoenix-area home in June 2008. He had been stabbed 27 times, had his throat slashed and been shot in the face. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canadian businessman goes on trial in Cuba for corruption Thursday, May 23, 2013 06:31 PM PDT  By Marc Frank HAVANA (Reuters) - A Cuban court on Thursday wrapped up the first day of testimony in the graft trial of a Canadian businessman whose prosecution is part of a corruption crackdown that has shaken the country's foreign business community. The trial of Sarkis Yacoubian, originally from Armenia and the owner of import firm Tri-Star Caribbean, was expected to end on Friday. An associate of Yacoubian, Lebanese citizen Krikor Bayassalian, is a co-defendant. Canada's ambassador to Cuba, Matthew Levin, attended the trial but did not speak to reporters. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. drone guidelines could reduce 'signature strikes' Thursday, May 23, 2013 06:23 PM PDT By Tabassum Zakaria and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New U.S. guidelines for conducting armed drone operations overseas set a higher bar for attacking non-Americans and could reduce controversial "signature strikes" targeted at suspicious groups rather than individuals. But the drone guidelines announced by President Barack Obama on Thursday still include vague language and loopholes that officials could use to conduct more expansive operations. ... Full Story | Top |
| Father of Chechen shot by FBI says he thinks son was tortured Thursday, May 23, 2013 06:22 PM PDT  GROZNY, Russia (Reuters) - The father of a Chechen immigrant killed during questioning over his links with one of the Boston Marathon bombings suspects said on Thursday he plans to travel to the United States where he thinks his son was tortured and killed. Ibragim Todashev, 27, was killed by a federal agent in his apartment complex when he became violent during questioning over his ties to Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the older of two brothers suspected of planting two bombs at the marathon on April 15. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama shifts U.S. from 'perpetual war-footing,' limits drone strikes Thursday, May 23, 2013 06:18 PM PDT  By Matt Spetalnick and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday shifted the United States away from a "boundless global war on terror," restricting deadly drone strikes abroad and signaling that America's long struggle against al Qaeda will one day end. In a major policy speech, Obama narrowed the scope of the U.S. targeted-killing campaign against al Qaeda and its allies and took new steps toward closing the Guantanamo Bay military prison - controversial elements of the U.S. counterterrorism fight that have drawn condemnation at home and abroad. ... Full Story | Top |
| Google faces new federal antitrust probe: source Thursday, May 23, 2013 05:54 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators are in the early stages of an antitrust probe into whether Google Inc, the top player in Web display advertising, breaks antitrust law in how it handles some advertising sales, a source told Reuters on Thursday. The source said that it was unlikely that the Federal Trade Commission had sent out civil investigative demands in relation to the probe, which would be the sign of a formal and more serious investigation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lawyers in Colorado shooting case challenge insanity defense law Thursday, May 23, 2013 05:52 PM PDT  By Keith Coffman CENTENNIAL, Colo. (Reuters) - Lawyers for accused Colorado movie theater gunman James Holmes argued on Thursday the state's insanity defense law was unconstitutional because it forces him to cooperate with court-appointed psychiatrists or forfeit the right to raise mental-health issues at sentencing. Prosecutors countered during a hearing before Arapahoe County District Judge Carlos Samour Jr. that without an independent examination, there would be no way to evaluate defense claims that Holmes was legally insane at the time of the crime. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jobs, housing data show economy has some muscle Thursday, May 23, 2013 05:49 PM PDT  By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, pointing to resilience in the labor market despite belt-tightening by Washington. The improving employment picture is helping to prop up housing, with rising home prices keeping domestic consumption supported, limiting the drag from tighter fiscal policy that is dampening factory activity. "All the eggs are in housing and the consumers' baskets this quarter. ... Full Story | Top |
| Commercial human ventures planned for the moon: NASA study Thursday, May 23, 2013 05:45 PM PDT  By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Corporate researchers may be living on the moon by the time NASA astronauts head off to visit an asteroid in the 2020s, a study of future human missions unveiled on Thursday shows. The study by Bigelow Aerospace, commissioned by NASA, shows "a lot of excitement and interest from various companies" for such ventures, said Robert Bigelow, founder and president of the Las Vegas-based firm. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama in heated exchanges with Code Pink anti-war protester Thursday, May 23, 2013 05:43 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The woman who interrupted President Barack Obama's speech on counterterrorism policy on Thursday is well-known around Washington as a perennial protester on national security issues. Medea Benjamin, a founder of anti-war women's group Code Pink, began demonstrating years ago on Capitol Hill, becoming an almost routine presence at hearings where high-ranking officials of the Bush administration appeared to talk about the Iraq war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Guantanamo prisoners tune in for Obama's speech on their fate Thursday, May 23, 2013 05:17 PM PDT By Jane Sutton MIAMI (Reuters) - Among those tuning in to President Barack Obama's national security speech on Thursday were some prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, who rely on television broadcasts and newspapers for hints about their fate. "Detainees follow all coverage of Guantanamo closely, including today's speech, and the post-speech commentary, analysis and editorials," said Navy Captain Robert Durand, a spokesman for the Guantanamo detention operation. "There is interest and discussion, but no discernible reaction," he said. ... Full Story | Top |
| IRS official at center of scandal put on leave Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:56 PM PDT  By Kim Dixon and Patrick Temple-West WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lois Lerner, an Internal Revenue Service official at the center of the scandal over the agency's extra scrutiny of conservative groups, was put on administrative leave on Thursday after she refused to resign, a senator said. Republican Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa said new acting IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel asked for Lerner's resignation. An IRS spokesman declined to comment on Lerner's status, citing privacy concerns. However, an internal memo supplied by the agency named Lerner's replacement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Repatriating detainees to Yemen key to closing Guantanamo Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:54 PM PDT  By Susan Cornwell and Jane Sutton WASHINGTON/MIAMI (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's pledge on Thursday to lift a ban on transfers of detainees to Yemen from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, addresses one of the core obstacles to clearing out the detention camp. Of the 86 detainees who have been cleared for transfer or release, 56 are from Yemen, where al Qaeda has a dangerous presence. There are 80 more prisoners who are not cleared and an unknown number of those are Yemeni as well. Most of the Yemeni prisoners were captured more than a decade ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| British police ponder conspiracy after soldier murder Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:43 PM PDT  By Guy Faulconbridge and Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Police investigating the murder of a soldier hacked to death on a busy London street were looking on Friday into whether the two suspected killers, British men of Nigerian descent, were part of a wider conspiracy. The two suspects, aged 22 and 28, are under guard in hospitals after being shot and arrested by police following the murder of 25-year-old Afghan war veteran Lee Rigby on Wednesday in broad daylight. They have not yet been charged. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jodi Arias jury fails to reach decision on death penalty Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:33 PM PDT  PHOENIX (Reuters) - An Arizona jury tasked with determining whether convicted killer Jodi Arias should be put to death for the brutal murder of an ex-boyfriend failed to reach a unanimous verdict on Thursday, and a judge ordered a retrial in the penalty phase. Arias, 32, was found guilty earlier this month in the murder of Travis Alexander, whose body was found slumped in the shower of his Phoenix-area home in June 2008. He was stabbed 27 times, had his throat slashed and was shot in the face. (Reporting by Tim Gaynor; Editing by Cynthia Johnston) Full Story | Top |
| Boy Scouts of America vote ends long-standing ban on gay scouts Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:30 PM PDT  By Marice Richter GRAPEVINE, Texas (Reuters) - The Boy Scouts of America voted on Thursday to lift a ban on openly gay scouts that had been in place throughout the organization's 103-year history, capping weeks of intense lobbying on both sides, the group said in a statement. More than 60 percent of the group's National Council, composed of some 1,400 delegates, voted to end the ban effective January 1, 2014. A prohibition on openly gay adult leaders remains in place. ... Full Story | Top |
| Former Goldman banker settles SEC 'pay-to-play' charges Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:10 PM PDT By Lisa Lambert and Jonathan Stempel WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - A former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. investment banker has agreed to a five-year securities industry ban and a record fine to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges that he broke rules against influence peddling to win bond underwriting business in Massachusetts. Without admitting or denying wrongdoing, Neil Morrison, 38, accepted what the SEC said was the first industry ban for violating "pay-to-play" rules governing the $3.7 trillion municipal bond market. ... Full Story | Top |
| One dead, about 10 injured in Guinea opposition protest Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:08 PM PDT By Saliou Samb CONAKRY (Reuters) - One person was killed and about were 10 injured when security forces and supporters of Guinea's president clashed with protesters marching in the capital on Thursday against planned legislative elections. President Alpha Conde's opponents say he plans to rig the long-delayed polls due to take place on June 30. Conde took office in 2010 following the first democratic transfer of power in the mineral-rich nation since independence in 1958. ... Full Story | Top |
| Proxy advisory firm settles SEC charges over data breach Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:08 PM PDT  By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Institutional Shareholder Services has settled civil charges by U.S. regulators that an employee of the prominent proxy advisory firm shared nonpublic voting data in exchange for meals and concert tickets. The Securities and Exchange Commission said on Thursday that ISS, a unit of MSCI Inc, will pay a $300,000 penalty and hire an independent compliance consultant. In settling, ISS neither admitted nor denied the SEC allegations that it violated financial adviser rules designed to prevent misuse of material non-public customer information. ... Full Story | Top |
| Police ponder conspiracy after soldier murder Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:06 PM PDT By Guy Faulconbridge and Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Police investigating the murder of a soldier hacked to death on a busy London street were looking on Friday into whether the two suspected killers, British men of Nigerian descent, were part of a wider conspiracy. The two suspects, aged 22 and 28, are under guard in hospitals after being shot and arrested by police following the murder of 25-year-old Afghan war veteran Lee Rigby on Wednesday in broad daylight. They have not yet been charged. ... Full Story | Top |
| Islamists kill 21 in suicide attacks in Niger Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:04 PM PDT By Abdoulaye Massalatchi NIAMEY (Reuters) - Islamist suicide bombers struck an army barracks and a French-run uranium mine in Niger on Thursday, officials said, killing 21 people and wounding dozens more in attacks that showed militant violence spreading in West Africa. The coordinated dawn assaults on Areva's mine at Arlit and the military base in Agadez were claimed by the MUJWA militant group in retaliation for a French-led offensive this year against Islamist insurgents in neighboring Mali. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU oil pricing probe spurs lawsuit against BP, others Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:00 PM PDT  By Bernard Vaughan and Tom Polansek NEW YORK/CHICAGO (Reuters) - A Chicago-based commodities trading firm has filed suit against three of the world's largest oil companies, accusing them of colluding to fix oil prices after European authorities opened an investigation last week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Obama outlines steps toward closing Guantanamo prison Thursday, May 23, 2013 03:59 PM PDT (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama outlined steps on Thursday aimed at the eventual closure of the Guantanamo Bay military prison. Following are some facts about the detention operation at the U.S. Naval base in eastern Cuba: * The United States set up the prison after U.S.-led forces invaded Afghanistan in pursuit the al Qaeda network behind the hijacked plane attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, the Pentagon and rural Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate votes to cut insurance subsidies to rich farmers Thursday, May 23, 2013 03:58 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The wealthiest 20,000 U.S. farmers should pay more for taxpayer subsidized crop insurance, the Senate voted on Thursday, adopting a measure that blended deficit reduction, populism and farm program reform. Senators approved the amendment by a lopsided 59-33 vote, in defiance of Agriculture Committee leaders. The move would save $1.3 billion over a decade by reducing the premium subsidy for growers with more than $750,000 of adjusted gross income. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lawsuits seek more than U.S. acknowledgement of drone killings Thursday, May 23, 2013 03:54 PM PDT  By David Ingram WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is facing demands in court to reveal more about the U.S. drone program, despite his speech addressing it on Thursday and his government's acknowledgement a day earlier that four Americans have died in drone strikes. Civil liberties advocates, news organizations and the families of those who died have brought lawsuits in New York, Washington and Oakland, California, challenging the government's refusal to provide information. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: What does Lockheed's F-35 fighter jet really cost? Thursday, May 23, 2013 03:54 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp is developing and building the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program, for three U.S. military branches and eight international partners. The Pentagon released new cost projections for 78 major weapons programs on Thursday, including the F-35 program which showed the first decline in cost after years of increases and restructurings. The partners who are helping fund the F-35's development include Britain, Australia, Canada, Turkey, Italy, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama orders review of guidelines for probing journalists Thursday, May 23, 2013 03:52 PM PDT  By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Thursday he directed Attorney General Eric Holder to conduct a review of Department of Justice guidelines for investigations that involve journalists and report back by early July. Obama has come under criticism for his administration's pursuit of journalists who have reported leaked material. In recent weeks, it emerged that the Justice Department seized Associated Press phone records as part of a probe into leaks about a 2012 Yemen-based plot to bomb a U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| ITC says Microsoft did not violate Google patent Thursday, May 23, 2013 03:48 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp won a round in a complex patent war on Thursday when the International Trade Commission said the company's popular Xbox entertainment system did not violate a patent owned by Google subsidiary Motorola Mobility. If the ITC had found that Microsoft infringed, it could have barred the Xbox from being imported into the United States. The fight over the Xbox is related to a larger smartphone patent war between Apple, Microsoft and the mobile phone makers who use Google's Android software, including Motorola Mobility. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Commerce nominee poised for swift Senate approval Thursday, May 23, 2013 03:28 PM PDT  By Doug Palmer WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chicago billionaire Penny Pritzker on Thursday appeared on her way to becoming U.S. commerce secretary, after a top Republican lawmaker said she had answered most of his questions about her role in the failure of an Illinois bank and her family's use of an offshore tax haven. "I can't see that there is anything that would keep her from getting through the process in pretty good shape," Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, said after a hearing on her nomination. ... Full Story | Top |
| California reveals prices for health insurance under Obamacare Thursday, May 23, 2013 03:13 PM PDT By Sharon Bernstein LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California unveiled prices on Thursday that consumers will pay for a selection of health plans offered through the state under the Affordable Care Act, providing a glimpse into how health care reform may look as it is rolled out across the nation. Under the federal health care reform law, Californians who do not get or cannot afford health insurance through their jobs can buy coverage through an exchange, at a group rate negotiated by state regulators. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lawmaker would give FDA more oversight of drug compounding Thursday, May 23, 2013 03:07 PM PDT By Toni Clarke WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Representative Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, on Thursday became the latest lawmaker to propose legislation that would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration greater regulatory authority over drug compounding. U.S. lawmakers, responding to a deadly meningitis outbreak in 2012, continue to wrestle with ways to regulate the pharmacies that compound large volumes of drugs for hospitals, individuals and clinics. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. House won't follow Senate lead on immigration bill: Boehner Thursday, May 23, 2013 03:04 PM PDT  By Richard Cowan and Rachelle Younglai WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said on Thursday his chamber would chart its own path on immigration rather than simply considering a Senate-passed measure, quashing hopes some Democrats had for quickly enacting the landmark legislation. "While we applaud the progress made by our Senate colleagues, there are numerous ways in which the House will approach the issue differently," Boehner said in a statement. "We will not simply take up and accept the bill that is emerging in the Senate if it passes," he added. ... Full Story | Top |
| Maine Medicaid expansion passes but governor sets veto Thursday, May 23, 2013 02:44 PM PDT By Dave Sherwood BOWDOINHAM, Maine (Reuters) - Maine's Democratic-controlled legislature on Thursday passed a bill to expand access to its Medicaid program as outlined by the Affordable Care Act, setting up a showdown with the state's Republican governor, who immediately began veto procedures. At issue is lawmakers' effort to link expanded access to the health insurance program for low-income residents to a plan to pay the state's share of $484 million in debt owed to Maine's hospitals. ... Full Story | Top |
| Local lawyer named to corruption fighting Chicago prosecutor job Thursday, May 23, 2013 02:39 PM PDT By Mary Wisniewski CHICAGO (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has nominated Chicago attorney Zachary Fardon to be the U.S. prosecutor in Chicago, which has seen the indictments of many top local politicians and mob figures, the two U.S. senators from Illinois announced on Thursday. If approved by the Senate, Fardon would fill the job formerly held by Patrick Fitzgerald, who was brought in from New York in 2001 to get tough on local politicians. ... Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment