| | |
| Costa Rica seeks court ruling on Nicaragua border dispute Monday, Feb 24, 2014 06:53 PM PST Costa Rica will ask the International Court of Justice to settle a decade-old maritime border dispute with Nicaragua related to potential oil concessions, President Laura Chinchilla said on Monday. Costa Rica plans to file a complaint with the court at The Hague on Tuesday in which it will ask the court to determine its borders with Nicaragua in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, she said in a statement. The dispute dates back to 2002 when Nicaragua published maps detailing oil concessions, some of which were in waters claimed by Costa Rica. Full Story | Top |
| Polio-like illness seen in up to 25 California children Monday, Feb 24, 2014 05:57 PM PST By Laila Kearney SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A rare and mysterious polio-like illness may have afflicted up to 25 children in California, several of whom have suffered limb paralysis, and health experts were struggling to identify the cause of the ailment, medical researchers said on Monday. Since 2012, between 20 and 25 previously healthy children from across California have shown signs of the illness, possibly caused by an infectious virus, the American Academy of Neurology said in a statement detailing the research of two California neurologists. One of the children remains in serious condition but none have died from the syndrome, researchers said. Stanford University pediatric neurologist Keith Van Haren said in a statement that the cases could indicate the possibility of an "emerging infectious polio-like syndrome in California," although federal health officials said there were too few cases to consider the spread of the ailment as an imminent threat. Full Story | Top |
| Canada regulators say TransCanada safety practices need work Monday, Feb 24, 2014 04:53 PM PST By Julie Gordon VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Canadian regulators said on Monday that an audit of TransCanada Corp's safety practices found the country's No. 2 pipeline company operated safely for the most part, but identified some key areas where it needs to improve. The National Energy Board said the Calgary-based company, which is developing the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, was found to be compliant in five of nine sub-elements of the review. "The Board finds that TransCanada has identified the majority, and most significant, of its hazards and risks, however there are areas where the company was found to be out of compliance," the agency said in a statement. TransCanada was found to be non-compliant in the categories of hazard identification, risk assessment and control; Full Story | Top |
| Obama seeks change in how U.S. pays to fight wildfires Monday, Feb 24, 2014 04:27 PM PST President Barack Obama will ask Congress in his budget proposal next week to change the way it pays for the soaring costs of fighting wildfires, the White House said on Monday, noting the new approach will ensure more money goes to preventing fires. Obama met on Monday with governors from western states that have had massive fires in recent years, including Arizona, Colorado and Oregon, to discuss the approach. "Population growth near forest and range lands, past management practices and a changing climate have dramatically increased wildfire risk and the resulting cost," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters. The Agriculture and Interior department currently base their fire-fighting budgets on a 10-year average of costs, which left them underfunded for 8 of the past 10 years, and forced to draw from fire prevention programs to make up the costs. Full Story | Top |
| S&P 500 ends less than 1 point below record closing high Monday, Feb 24, 2014 02:35 PM PST  By Caroline Valetkevitch NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Monday and the S&P 500 hit a record intraday high, helped by gains in health insurers' shares and optimism about merger activity. The Nasdaq reached a 14-year high, though all three indexes closed off their highs for the session. The S&P 500 finished less than a point away from its record closing high of 1,848.38. Humana Inc and UnitedHealth Group ranked among the S&P 500's biggest percentage gainers, with Humana's stock jumping 10.6 percent to $113.69 after it said the government's proposed cuts to the private Medicare program appeared to be less than it had forecast. Full Story | Top |
| GE will increase energy spending to aid drilling boom, Immelt says Monday, Feb 24, 2014 01:56 PM PST  General Electric Co plans to intensify research focusing on complex energy projects such as waterless fracking and gas turbine efficiency by earmarking an additional $10 billion through 2020 for its "ecoimagination" budget. The commitment, which represents roughly two years' research spending for the manufacturing giant, comes as General Electric responds to new opportunities created by the U.S. energy boom. The potential is here," Chief Executive Jeff Immelt said on Monday, describing how new drilling technologies have unlocked vast oil and gas reserves. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has revolutionized energy development but the technique requires huge volumes of water to rattle oil and gas from deep underground. Full Story | Top |
| Colombia blames ELN rebels for attack on presidential candidate Monday, Feb 24, 2014 01:50 PM PST  By Helen Murphy and Luis Jaime Acosta BOGOTA (Reuters) - The National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia's second-biggest guerrilla group, was behind the attack this weekend on a leftist presidential candidate, the country's top defense official said on Monday. A convoy carrying Aida Avella, 65, a contender from the Patriotic Union party, came under fire on Sunday as it traveled on a highway in the oil-rich northeastern province of Arauco, where rebels of the ELN have a strong presence. Police and military intelligence overheard conversations between members of the ELN, referring to the shots fired at her vehicle, Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon told reporters. "In a specific manner, they talk about how the 12-vehicle convoy mobilized, how they tried to stop the presidential candidate's convoy and when they could not, they opened fire," Pinzon said. Full Story | Top |
| TSX nears three-year high as energy, BlackBerry shares gain Monday, Feb 24, 2014 01:49 PM PST  By John Tilak TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index climbed on Monday to its highest in nearly 3 years as stronger oil prices helped push up shares of energy producers and shares of BlackBerry Ltd jumped. BlackBerry shot up 6.9 percent after the smartphone maker said it will make its messaging service BBM available to Microsoft's Windows Phone and the upcoming Nokia X platforms. A Bloomberg report saying Ford Motor Co plans to base its next-generation Sync system on BlackBerry's QNX platform also supported the share move. Full Story | Top |
| Nigeria president defends suspension of central bank governor Monday, Feb 24, 2014 12:38 PM PST  Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said on Monday his decision to suspend the central bank governor had nothing to do with the governor's exposing corruption in the oil sector. Jonathan suspended Governor Lamido Sanusi on Thursday on allegations he had mishandled the bank's budget. Sanusi, due to step down in June, was becoming an increasingly vocal critic of the government's record on tackling corruption. Sanusi had been presenting evidence to parliament that he said showed that state oil company Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) failed to pay $20 billion it owed to federal government coffers, fuelling speculation his suspension was an attempt to silence a whistleblower. Full Story | Top |
| Obama says expects Keystone decision in next couple months: Oklahoma governor Monday, Feb 24, 2014 12:28 PM PST By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama told governors at a White House meeting on Monday he expects a decision on whether to allow the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline from Canada in the next couple of months, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin told reporters. Fallin, a Republican who strongly supports the pipeline, said she asked Obama whether he would use his executive powers to approve the pipeline, which has been under government review since 2008. Opponents of the project say TransCanada Corp's pipeline would exacerbate climate change by supporting carbon-intensive development of Canada's oil sands crude. Full Story | Top |
| Justices question Obama climate change regulations Monday, Feb 24, 2014 12:05 PM PST  By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court appeared closely divided on Monday as it weighed whether the administration of President Barack Obama exceeded its authority when crafting the nation's first greenhouse gas emissions regulations. Justice Anthony Kennedy could hold the swing vote on the nine-member high court, with conservative justices skeptical of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) approach and liberal justices generally supportive. It is possible the court could opt for a compromise in which the EPA loses the case but retains most of its authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the specific program at issue in the case. Absent congressional action, Obama has been using his regulatory authority to address climate change. Full Story | Top |
| Ugandan president signs anti-gay bill, defying the West Monday, Feb 24, 2014 12:02 PM PST  By Elias Biryabarema ENTEBBE, Uganda (Reuters) - Uganda's president signed a law imposing harsh penalties for homosexuality on Monday, defying protests from rights groups, criticism from Western donors and a U.S. warning that it will complicate relations. Gay rights activists in Uganda said they planned a legal challenge. Ugandan officials broke into loud applause as President Yoweri Museveni put his signature to the document in front of foreign journalists at his State House outside the capital. Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh last week called homosexuals "vermin". Full Story | Top |
| Russia ties $2 billion in aid for Ukraine to new government: minister Monday, Feb 24, 2014 10:35 AM PST By Anna Yukhananov WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russian economy minister Alexei Ulyukayev said on Monday the next $2 billion bailout installment for Ukraine is "ready to go" and that Moscow was waiting for the formation of a new government after the ouster of Russian-backed president Viktor Yanukovich. But we would like to know, who are our partners?" Ulyukayev said during an event at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington. "And what (is) the program of the interim (government)? What is the program?," he added, speaking about the economic plans of the government led by Oleksander Turchinov, who has been named acting president of Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| Russia says won't deal with 'mutineers' who took power in Ukraine Monday, Feb 24, 2014 09:04 AM PST By Elizabeth Piper MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Monday it would not deal with those it said stole power in "an armed mutiny" in Ukraine, sending the strongest signal yet that Moscow does not want to be drawn into a bidding war with the West in its southern neighbor. Querying the legitimacy of the new pro-European authorities after the Ukrainian parliament's removal of the Kremlin-backed president following months of unrest, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said he saw no one to do business with in Kiev. He did not declare a $15-billion bailout for Ukraine dead, although its future is in question, but signaled that a deal which cut the price Ukraine pays for Russian gas had an expiry date and that any extension would have to be negotiated. With President Vladimir Putin still basking in the afterglow of Russia's success at the Sochi Winter Olympics, it has been left to aides to address a crisis that has not turned out as he wanted and reduced Russian clout in Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| Britain creates new oil and gas regulator to tackle falling output Monday, Feb 24, 2014 08:47 AM PST  By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said it would create a new oil and gas regulator which will help UK explorers speed up their search for hard-to-access fossil fuel resources in a bid to counter plunging North Sea production rates. A government-commissioned report published on Monday said Britain could lose out on a potential 200 billion pounds worth of oil and gas output if measures proposed in the report are not followed. The country's oil and gas output has fallen around two thirds since its peak at the turn of the century, but up to 24 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) are expected to still come out of the ground. Oil and gas companies active in the UK's Continental Shelf (UKCS) are expected to meet most of the costs of a new oil and gas regulator that will speed up licensing processes, help coordinate exploration data and enforce rules to maximise well output. Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment