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| Gunfire by night becomes new norm in downtown Bangkok Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 07:48 PM PST  By Pairat Temphairojana and Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) - Shots fired by unknown gunmen on Wednesday rattled parts of the Thai capital where anti-government protesters have set up camp for weeks, with small but occasionally deadly bombs and gunfire fast becoming the new norm in the city. No one was wounded in the shootings in the central commercial area of Bangkok, although five people were killed in weekend violence in the city and the eastern province of Trat, four of them young children. National security chief Paradorn Pattanathabutr said there had been no reported deaths or injuries in the incidents in the early hours of Wednesday. "Recently we have been seeing more incidents like this happening more frequently ... It is noticeable that there are incidents like this every day." The protesters, whose disruption of a general election this month left polarized Thailand in political paralysis, aim to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and erase the influence of her brother, ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, seen by many as the real power in the country. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Vice President Biden decries 'hatred' behind state voter ID laws Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 07:37 PM PST  U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he hopes Congress will pass new legislation to modernize the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 and counter what he called the "hatred" behind voter identification laws in states such as North Carolina, Alabama and Texas. The U.S. Supreme Court gutted a core part of the act in June, and said Congress needed a new plan to protect blacks and other minorities in places where discrimination still persists rather than target former slaveholding states in the South. At a reception at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., in honor of African-American History Month, Biden criticized voting rules in North Carolina, Alabama and Texas. Full Story | Top |
| BOJ's Ishida: recovery on track even if GDP falls after tax hike Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 07:32 PM PST  By Stanley White SAITAMA, Japan (Reuters) - Japan's recovery will remain on track even if the economy contracts in the second quarter after sales tax is raised on April 1, a Bank of Japan board member said on Wednesday. In a sign of reluctance to ease policy further, Koji Ishida said the Bank of Japan (BOJ) should be careful in its economic assessment because data in the first half of fiscal 2014 will be more volatile due to the tax hike itself, suggesting the central bank will not be easily swayed by a temporary slowdown. Ishida's comments, which are in line with the BOJ's standard assessment, may weaken speculation that the central bank will offer additional stimulus this year due to doubts about the economy after the sales tax increase. "We cannot avoid the negative impact that the tax increase will have on real household incomes," Ishida said in a speech to business leaders in Saitama, north of Tokyo. Full Story | Top |
| Ecuador's president will seek cabinet shuffle, change to party Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 07:19 PM PST  By Yuri Garcia GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (Reuters) - Ecuador's President Rafael Correa on Tuesday said he will ask for his cabinet's resignation and reshape his political party after the loss of the capital city of the oil-producing Andean nation to the opposition in local elections. Opposition candidates on Sunday won elections to run the local governments of Quito and industrial city Cuenca, and maintained control of the economic capital and port city of Guayaquil in an unsettling result for the government. "There will be a cabinet crisis," Correa told reporters in the port city of Guayaquil, adding that he had considered changing his government ministers prior to the vote. Correa said the loss of Quito was painful and could make the country ungovernable. Full Story | Top |
| China stresses rule of law in reform of age-old petitions system Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 07:16 PM PST  China has issued new guidelines to strictly enforce the rule of law for those exercising an ancient tradition of seeking justice through petitions to higher authorities, as the central government tightens its grip on a system often marred by abuse. Petitioning in China dates back to imperial times, with the courts being seen as inaccessible by ordinary people, who often use the method to draw the attention of officials to local disputes, ranging from corruption to land grabs. "Any malpractice that constrains the public from legal petitioning will be rectified and prohibited." At the same time, petitioners must not "leapfrog" their complaints to higher authorities, say the guidelines released by the central committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, or cabinet. Full Story | Top |
| Japan authorities looking into closure of Mt. Gox bitcoin exchange Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 07:07 PM PST Japanese authorities are looking into the abrupt closure of Mt. Gox, the top government spokesman said on Wednesday in Tokyo's first official reaction to the turmoil at what was the world's biggest exchange for bitcoin virtual currency. "At this stage the relevant financial authorities, the police, the Finance Ministry and others are gathering information on the case," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a regular news conference when asked about Tuesday's shutdown of the Tokyo-based exchange. Speaking shortly after The Wall Street Journal reported that Mt. Gox had received a subpoena from federal prosecutors in New York, Suga declined further comment. Japan's Financial Services Agency and Finance Ministry told Reuters on Tuesday that they do not have jurisdiction over Mt. Gox after the exchange's website went down and efforts to reach company officials failed. Full Story | Top |
| Pentagon to ask for only 34 Lockheed F-35s in 2015 budget: comptroller Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 07:06 PM PST By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department will request 34 Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets in its 2015 budget request, eight fewer than initially planned, Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale told an industry conference on Tuesday. Hale said the decision reflected a postponement of some F-35 purchases because of budget pressures, not concerns about the performance of the $392 billion program, the Pentagon's biggest arms project. "It's an affordability issue, not performance," Hale told a conference hosted by McAleese and Associates, a consulting firm, and Credit Suisse. Hale declined to give details about planned purchases in coming years, but said production of the Lockheed fighter jets would be increasing. Full Story | Top |
| Many big U.S. corporations pay very little in taxes: study Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 07:05 PM PST  By Kevin Drawbaugh and Patrick Temple-West (Reuters) - Many of the most profitable U.S. corporations paid little or no federal income tax from 2008 to 2012, according to a five-year study issued on Tuesday by a left-leaning tax activist group. Citizens for Tax Justice looked at 288 profitable Fortune 500 companies and said that 26 of them - including Boeing Co , General Electric Co and Verizon Communications Inc - paid no federal income tax in the five-year period. The group also said that 111 of the 288 companies paid no federal income tax in at least one of the five years measured. In a reflection of how the tax code's complexity leaves many issues open to question, corporations sometimes dispute the way Citizens for Tax Justice calculates its numbers. Full Story | Top |
| Mexican drug kingpin Guzman dodges U.S. extradition for now Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 06:59 PM PST  By Anahi Rama MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman won a temporary injunction to block his extradition to the United States where he faces narcotics and arms trafficking charges, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday. Guzman, who was Mexico's most wanted criminal and boss of the feared Sinaloa Cartel, was caught in the beach resort of Mazatlan with help from U.S. agents in a pre-dawn raid on Saturday. The day after Guzman's arrest, the spokesman for a U.S. federal prosecutor said he planned to seek the capo's extradition to face trial in the United States, but it is still unclear whether that will happen, and extradition proceedings can take years to complete. On Monday, Guzman's lawyers filed an injunction to block any move to extradite him to the United States. Full Story | Top |
| BOJ Ishida: recovery on track even if GDP falls in April-June after tax hike Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 06:25 PM PST Japan's economic recovery will remain on track even if the gross domestic product contracts in April-June after an increase in the sales tax, Bank of Japan board member Koji Ishida said on Wednesday. A positive economic cycle, where gains in production feeds into stronger incomes and higher spending will remain intact and support growth, Ishida said in a speech to business leaders in Saitama, north of Tokyo. The BOJ should also be careful when deciding on its economic assessment as data in the first half of fiscal 2014 will be volatile due to the tax hike, he said. Full Story | Top |
| BOJ Kuroda: Japan getting on track towards reaching price target Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 05:56 PM PST  TOKYO (Reuters) - Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Wednesday that Japan's economy is getting on track towards achieving a 2 percent inflation target as price hikes spread to a broader range of goods on the back of a narrowing output gap. Kuroda, speaking in parliament, also said that the economy is recovering moderately. (Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Dominic Lau and Edmund Klamann) Full Story | Top |
| Pentagon plans work on new missile defense interceptor Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 05:48 PM PST  By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The next U.S. military budget will include funds to overhaul Boeing Co's ground-based missile defense system and develop a replacement for an interceptor built by Raytheon Co, the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer said Tuesday, citing "bad engineering" on the existing system. "We've got to get to more reliable systems," Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told a conference sponsored by McAleese and Associations and Credit Suisse. Full Story | Top |
| Eyeing Afghan exit, U.S. intensifies campaign against Haqqani militants Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 05:35 PM PST  By Missy Ryan and Phil Stewart KABUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has intensified its drive against the Taliban-linked Haqqani network in an attempt to deal a lasting blow to the militants in Afghanistan before foreign combat forces depart this year, according to multiple U.S. officials. The effort is taking on added urgency as the clock ticks down on a NATO combat mission in Afghanistan set to end in December, and as questions persist about whether Pakistan will take action against a group some U.S. officials believe is quietly supported by Pakistani intelligence. The Obama administration has created a special new unit based in Kabul to coordinate efforts against the militant group, according to officials familiar with the matter. It was set up late last year, as part of a new strategy that involves multiple government agencies, The unit, headed by a colonel and known in military parlance as a "fusion cell," brings together special forces, conventional forces, intelligence personnel, and some civilians to improve targeting of Haqqani members and to heighten the focus on the group, the officials said. Full Story | Top |
| Pressure mounts on Arizona governor to veto bill dubbed anti-gay Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 05:34 PM PST  By David Schwartz PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona Governor Jan Brewer came under mounting pressure on Tuesday from other prominent Republicans and consultants to veto a controversial bill described by critics as a license to discriminate against gays and others in the name of religion. Brewer has yet to say publicly whether she will sign or veto the bill, which would allow business owners to cite their personal religious beliefs as legal justification for refusing to serve same-sex couples or any other prospective customers. The measure passed the Republican-controlled state legislature last week, putting Brewer in the crosshairs of a contentious political debate at a time when she has sought to ease partisan discord while focusing on efforts to revive Arizona's economy. Two outside political consultants to Brewer told Reuters they had each urged her to veto the measure, with one saying her track record on such issues made him think she was leaning in that direction. Full Story | Top |
| RBS to pay $920 million in bonuses for 2013: Sky News Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 05:33 PM PST  (Reuters) - Royal Bank of Scotland has received approval from Treasury agency UK Financial Investments to pay about 550 million pounds ($920 million) in staff bonuses for 2013, Sky News reported late on Tuesday. The news service said the bank is expected to disclose the proposed bonuses when it announces its annual earnings, estimated at a loss of about 8 billion pounds. The bank's Chief Executive Officer, Ross McEwan, is also expected on Thursday to unveil a strategic review of its investment banking and international operations in which the group could shed up to a quarter of its 120,000-member workforce, according to sources who spoke to Reuters. The partially nationalized bank is expected to have reduced the 2013 bonus pool by at least 25 million pounds under a commitment it gave 12 months ago to reduce bonuses in subsequent years, Sky said. Full Story | Top |
| Obamacare insurers in Louisiana delay HIV policy change Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 05:24 PM PST By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana and two smaller insurers will delay implementing policies to stop poor HIV patients from paying for Obamacare plans with funds from the federal Ryan White HIV/AIDS assistance program. The decision, which the insurers revealed at a federal court hearing on Tuesday, prompted the judge to lift a temporary restraining order that forced them to delay the change in policy for 14 days. On Monday, Brian Jackson, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, issued the order that would have compelled the companies to accept Ryan White funds to pay insurance premiums on behalf of HIV patients. Full Story | Top |
| Accidents spur U.S. to mandate tests of oil moving by train Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 05:09 PM PST By Patrick Rucker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators issued an emergency order on Tuesday requiring oil from North Dakota being loaded onto trains to be tested and properly labeled to reflect its volatile nature after a series of explosive train derailments over the past year. U.S. Department of Transportation warned last month tha fuel produced out of the North Dakota's Bakken region could be more flammable and explosion-prone than previously thought. "If you intend to move crude oil by rail, then you must test and classify the material appropriately," Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. Hazardous material rules still permit any crude oil to be carried on older DOT-111 tank cars that make up the majority of the crude-by-rail fleet. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. House passes bill on mobile phone 'unlocking' Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 04:51 PM PST  The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday that would give mobile-phone users the right to "unlock" their devices and use them on competitors' wireless networks, although Senate action was uncertain. Major carriers, including Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc, Sprint Corp, T-Mobile US and U.S. Cellular, in December made a voluntary pledge to make it easier for consumers to unlock their cellphones, under pressure from consumer groups and the Federal Communications Commission. The notion of undoing that law has had wide support from Republicans and Democrats since the bill's introduction in the House in 2013. But the bill's author, Representative Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican, added language after the bill had been approved by a partisan majority of the House Judiciary Committee, banning "bulk unlocking." Consumer advocates have argued that customers should be allowed to sell their old devices to third parties that could unlock phones in bulk, something the wireless industry opposes. Full Story | Top |
| Boeing wins $2.1 billion contract for 16 more P-8 spy planes Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 04:32 PM PST  Boeing Co has been awarded a $2.1 billion contract to build 16 P-8A Poseidon long-range maritime spy planes for the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Defense Department announced on Tuesday. The deal marks the first full-rate production contract for Boeing for the new planes, and follows a decision by Australia last week to buy eight P-8A planes for A$4 billion ($3.6 billion). The aircraft, based on Boeing's 737-800 commercial airplane, will replace the U.S. Navy's P-3 spy planes, which have been in service for more than 40 years. Navy P-8A program manager Captain Scott Dillon said the new contract would help ensure continued "cost-effective procurement" of the maritime spy planes. Full Story | Top |
| Adidas pulls raunchy World Cup T-shirts at Brazil's request Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 04:27 PM PST Adidas agreed on Tuesday to stop selling two raunchy T-shirts months ahead of the World Cup in Brazil after the government complained that they associated the country with sexual tourism. One shirt shows a bikini-clad woman with open arms on a sunny Rio de Janeiro beach under the word-play "Looking to Score." The other has an "I love Brazil" heart resembling the upside-down buttocks of a woman wearing a thong bikini bottom. Adidas, the world's second-largest sportswear maker, said the shirts would not be sold anymore, adding in a statement that they were from a limited edition that was only on sale in the United States. The shirt designs touched a nerve in Brazil, where people often complain about foreign stereotypes of Brazilian sensuality. Full Story | Top |
| John Dingell's wife to seek his U.S. House seat: source Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 04:23 PM PST Debbie Dingell, the wife of retiring U.S. Democratic Representative John Dingell, will announce on Friday that she will run for his Michigan congressional seat, according to a close friend of hers, who asked not to be identified. "I can confirm that she will announce on Friday that she will seek election to the 12th District" congressional seat, the source said on Tuesday. John Dingell, 87, who has served longer in the U.S. Congress than anybody else in history, announced on Monday that he would not seek re-election in November. Debbie Dingell is a Democratic Party activist with deep ties to General Motors Co. If she were to win the seat, Michigan voters would continue an unbroken line of Dingells serving in Congress that began in 1933 when John Dingell Sr. was first elected to the House and was replaced by his son 58 years ago. Full Story | Top |
| Accused IRA bomber freed in UK after false assurance of no prosecution Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 04:12 PM PST An Irishman accused of a bombing that killed four soldiers on horseback in London in 1982 walked free on Tuesday after it emerged at his trial that Northern Irish police had given him a false assurance that he would not be prosecuted. John Downey, 62, from County Donegal in Ireland, was charged with murdering four members of the Royal Household Cavalry who were killed when a car bomb exploded in Hyde Park as they paraded towards Buckingham Palace. Another 23 soldiers from the Household Cavalry, the Queen's official bodyguard, which carries out ceremonial duties on state occasions, were wounded by shrapnel. Later on the same day, July 20, a second bomb exploded under a bandstand in London's Regent's Park during a performance by the Royal Green Jackets military band, killing seven members. Full Story | Top |
| Britain sets lighter conditions for foreign investment bank branches Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 04:10 PM PST  By Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's central bank set lighter conditions on Wednesday for branches of Chinese and other non-European investment banks as part of efforts to bolster London's role as a financial centre. The new rules reverse a previous policy of putting pressure on non-EU lenders operating branches in Britain to become standalone subsidiaries with their own capital and liquidity buffers - a costlier undertaking. The initial target of the new policy is China but it would apply to lenders from any non-EU country, Andrew Bailey chief executive of the Bank of England's (BoE) regulatory arm, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), said in October. Britain is hoping the City will become a major yuan hub outside China and both countries are already holding talks about setting up a clearing bank in the British capital for the Chinese currency. Full Story | Top |
| Zynga wins dismissal of fraud lawsuit linked to IPO Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 04:08 PM PST  Zynga Inc has won the dismissal of a lawsuit in which shareholders accused the online gaming company of fraudulently misleading them about its financial and business prospects before and after its December 2011 initial public offering. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White in San Francisco said that despite their "excessively long and prolix" 110-page complaint, the shareholders failed to include "relevant, basic factual details" to support their claims against Zynga, company officials including founder Mark Pincus, and underwriters led by Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs & Co. White also dismissed claims linked to an April 2012 secondary stock offering, saying the named plaintiffs lacked standing because they did not buy shares in that offering. Full Story | Top |
| Seth Meyers' 'Late Night' debut draws biggest audience since 2005 Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 04:03 PM PST  Comedian Seth Meyers' debut as the host of NBC's "Late Night" talk show on Monday pulled in about 3.4 million viewers, the show's highest numbers overall as well as in the 18-49 age group coveted by advertisers since 2005, the television network said on Tuesday. With a mixture of banter and jokes and guests comedian Amy Poehler and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Meyers managed to top the premiere audience numbers of his predecessor Jimmy Fallon, who left the show to replace Jay Leno as host of NBC's flagship late-night program "The Tonight Show" a week ago. Full Story | Top |
| Asiana fined $500,000 for slow aid to crash families Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 04:00 PM PST (Reuters) - U.S. regulators fined Asiana Airlines Inc $500,000 on Tuesday for failing to assist the families of passengers on a flight that crashed in San Francisco in July in which three people were killed and more than 180 injured. The Boeing 777, en route from Seoul, hit a seawall short of the runway at San Francisco airport, broke apart and caught on fire. "Asiana's response to the crash of flight 214 indicates that the carrier failed to commit sufficient resources to carry out its family assistance plan," the U.S. Department of Transportation said in a statement. Federal law requires that airlines provide certain services to passengers and their families in the event of a crash. Full Story | Top |
| Obama: 4 million have signed up for insurance under Obamacare Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 03:59 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that some 4 million people had signed up for health insurance through exchanges provided by his signature healthcare law known as Obamacare. Obama made the comments to cheers from supporters during an appearance at a "national organizing summit" put together by the political organization Organizing for Action that was formed out of his 2012 campaign apparatus. He urged supporters to keep reaching out to people to get them signed up for health insurance coverage. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Peter Cooney) Full Story | Top |
| Tennessee VW workers challenge UAW objection to plant vote Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 03:55 PM PST  Five Volkswagen workers moved on Tuesday to undercut the United Auto Workers' appeal to an election that resulted in the union's failure to organize VW's Chattanooga, Tennessee plant earlier this month, an anti-union group said. In a petition to the National Labor Relations Board, the workers asked to intervene in the UAW's appeal by saying the union and VW are in collusion to bring unionization to the Chattanooga plant. Not allowing them to intervene "would be akin to allowing two foxes to guard the henhouse" a petition filed on behalf of the workers by the National Right to Work Foundation says. The UAW on Friday filed the objection to the result of the February 12-14 election, in which VW's Chattanooga workers rejected the union by a 712-to-626 vote. Full Story | Top |
| New York Knicks guard Felton faces weapons charges Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 03:53 PM PST  New York Knicks guard Raymond Felton was arrested on gun possession charges on Tuesday after his wife's divorce attorney took a weapon that was allegedly his to a local police station, authorities said. Felton, 29, was not registered to have the gun in New York City and was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree and with criminal possession of a firearm, authorities said. The professional basketball player turned himself in to face the charges early on Tuesday and appeared at a late-afternoon hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court before Judge Diane Boyar, who set bail at $25,000. Wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, Felton left the courthouse in downtown Manhattan after the hearing without making any comment. Full Story | Top |
| Popular U.S. health reform plan may not cut costs, boost quality: study Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 03:45 PM PST By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - Increased attention given to patients in primary care practices organized into so-called medical homes may not improve quality of care or reduce health costs as reformers of the U.S. healthcare system had hoped, researchers said on Tuesday. Thousands of primary care doctors in the United States are revamping their practices based on this new medical home model. In medical home practices, primary care doctors adopt a team-based care approach using patient registries, electronic health records and other tools to help identify high-risk patients and deliver more personalized care. But new evidence from a large, three-year pilot study among 32 physician practices in Pennsylvania found modest improvements in quality of care and no reductions in hospitalizations, emergency department visits or total costs of care. Full Story | Top |
| 360 million newly stolen credentials on black market: cybersecurity firm Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 03:36 PM PST  By Jim Finkle BOSTON (Reuters) - A cybersecurity firm said on Tuesday that it uncovered stolen credentials from some 360 million accounts that are available for sale on cyber black markets, though it is unsure where they came from or what they can be used to access. The discovery could represent more of a risk to consumers and companies than stolen credit card data because of the chance the sets of user names and passwords could open the door to online bank accounts, corporate networks, health records and virtually any other type of computer system. Alex Holden, chief information security officer of Hold Security LLC, said in an interview that his firm obtained the data over the past three weeks, meaning an unprecedented amount of stolen credentials is available for sale underground. "The sheer volume is overwhelming," said Holden, whose firm last year helped uncover a major data breach at Adobe Systems Inc in which tens of millions of records were stolen. Full Story | Top |
| UK's Hague says Ukraine must show determination to tackle graft Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 03:35 PM PST By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ukraine's new leadership will need to show it is willing to tackle reforms and pervasive corruption in exchange for long-term support from the international community, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Tuesday. Hague was speaking after talks with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State John Kerry, in a hastily arranged trip to Washington to discuss events in Ukraine where the parliament ousted president Viktor Yanukovich on Saturday and handed the reins to acting president Oleksander Turchinov. Hague said he and Kerry discussed urgent financial help for Ukraine, whose economy has been hit by months of street protests and violence. He said he will meet officials from the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday. Full Story | Top |
| Seizure a possibility in RFK daughter's car crash: NY expert Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 03:29 PM PST  By Victoria Cavaliere WHITE PLAINS, New York (Reuters) - Kerry Kennedy, daughter of assassinated U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, was so disoriented after side-swiping a truck in 2012 that it appeared she may have suffered a seizure, a New York state trooper testified on Tuesday at her impaired driving trial. Trooper Bradley Molloy was called to the witness stand by prosecutors on the second day of what local media has called a "drugged driving" trial. She appeared disoriented and confused after the accident, possible signs of a seizure or stroke, Molloy told jurors in Westchester County Court. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Medicare chief defends proposed Part D drug benefit reforms Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 03:27 PM PST By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration's top Medicare official on Tuesday defended proposed changes to the popular Part D drug benefits program for the elderly and disabled that are fiercely opposed by a broad network of drugmakers, insurers, healthcare providers and patient advocates. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a new rule in January that would fundamentally alter the program's private insurance coverage for certain drugs, change the pharmacy networks that some plans cover and limit the number of policies available to beneficiaries in any given region. That has stirred concern about the potential for turmoil that critics fear could leave some beneficiaries without coverage for the drugs they need and with fewer choices overall. But Medicare chief Jonathan Blum said in written testimony to a congressional panel that the 2015 policy changes are needed to head off higher costs to the program from expensive new biologic therapies and rising subsidies for insurers and lower-income consumers. Full Story | Top |
| Online music going for a song, says U.S. bill seeking more cash for composers Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 03:23 PM PST  Songwriters need to make more money when their music is played on online services like Pandora and elsewhere, according to a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday by a Republican congressman. The measure, introduced by Representative Doug Collins of Georgia, would give songwriters more leeway in arguing for higher royalties before a special court that mediates disputes over payments. The proposal is supported by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music, Incorporated (BMI), which license about 90 percent of music heard online on services, in restaurants and on television. "There are a lot of powerful interests that use music but don't like the idea of paying songwriters a fair market value," said David Israelite, president of the National Music Publishers' Association, which also backs the bill. Full Story | Top |
| Italy's Renzi wins final confidence vote, pledging reform Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 03:20 PM PST  By Naomi O'Leary and Gavin Jones ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi won a final parliamentary vote of confidence on Tuesday after pledging to slash red tape and "revolutionize" the economy. The Chamber of Deputies approved the confidence motion by the comfortable margin of 378 in favor to 220 against, fully empowering the coalition consisting of Renzi's Democratic Party (PD), the New Centre Right party, centrists and other small groups. The 39-year-old Renzi, Italy's youngest prime minister, said radical steps were needed to revive an economy that has barely grown for the past 15 years and restore citizens' confidence in politics. In his first address to the lower house ahead of the vote, Renzi said "Italy's finest page has yet to be written", in a speech that produced many of his trademark rhetorical flourishes but few specific policy commitments. Full Story | Top |
| Christian metal singer pleads guilty in California murder plot Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 03:18 PM PST  By Marty Graham SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - The lead singer for the heavy metal Christian rock band As I Lay Dying pleaded guilty in California on Tuesday to a charge of soliciting an undercover detective posing as a hit man to kill his estranged wife. Tim Lambesis, 33, entered the plea in a San Diego court as part of a deal that will net him a 9-year prison sentence, said his attorney, Thomas Warwick. The trainer contacted the San Diego Sheriff's Department, which sent an undercover detective to meet with Lambesis. Meggan Lambesis filed for divorce in September 2012. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. FDA weighs evidence on producing 'three-parent' embryos Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 03:02 PM PST During two days of public hearings starting on Tuesday, scientists were scheduled to present their research to outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency will decide whether safety concerns raised by three-parent IVF are minimal enough to allow clinical trials to begin. Full Story | Top |
| Senate committee sets March 4 for Fed confirmation hearing Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 02:57 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Senate committee said on Tuesday it will hold a confirmation hearing on March 4 over three nominees put forward by the Obama administration for senior positions at the Federal Reserve. The Senate Banking committee said it would call all three nominees - Stanley Fischer, Jerome Powell and Lael Brainard - as witnesses at the hearing. (Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Chris Reese) Full Story | Top |
| Canada's opposition NDP open to coalition, Liberals less keen Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 02:48 PM PST By Randall Palmer OTTAWA (Reuters) - The leader of one of Canada's two leading opposition parties said on Tuesday he is willing to form a coalition in order to take power after the next election, even as the other party leader, Liberal Justin Trudeau, played down the idea. The possibility of a coalition would have implications for whether Conservative Stephen Harper can stay on as prime minister after the 2015 election in the event he loses his current majority. We want to get results," New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Thomas Mulcair told reporters when asked if he was willing to form a coalition with Trudeau after the election. He pointed out that he was part of the NDP team that proposed in 2008 to oust Harper - who then had only a minority of seats - by forming a coalition with the Liberal Party, backed with an agreement of support from the separatist Bloc Quebecois. Full Story | Top |
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