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| ACLU cites free speech in suit against Idaho's 'ag gag' law Monday, Mar 17, 2014 08:47 PM PDT By Laura Zuckerman SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - The American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho on Monday asked a federal judge to strike down a state law it says violates constitutional rights to free speech by banning the documentation of animal abuse at livestock operations. The law in Idaho, which makes it illegal to take photos or videos at farms or slaughterhouses without the operators' permission, was passed last month by the Republican-led state legislature and signed by Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter. Lawmakers who support the law say it is necessary to protect the agricultural industry, which adds billions of dollars to the Idaho economy, from unfair and biased investigations. But the ACLU, animal rights group PETA, the Center for Food Safety and other environmental and political groups argued in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Boise on Monday that the law violates free speech rights enshrined in the U.S. constitution. Full Story | Top |
| China rules out hijack, attack by Chinese passengers on Malaysian jet Monday, Mar 17, 2014 08:18 PM PDT There is no evidence Chinese passengers were involved in a hijack or terror attack on a Malaysia Airlines flight that vanished 10 days ago, state media quoted China's ambassador to Malaysia as saying on Tuesday. Ambassador Huang Huikang told Chinese reporters that Beijing had carried out a detailed investigation of the Chinese passengers and could rule out their involvement, state television said on one of its official microblogs. No trace of flight MH370 has been found since it vanished soon after taking off from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing early on March 8 with 239 passengers and crew on board. Huang said there were multiple reasons for the confusion and rumors about what had happened to the aircraft, including Malaysia's "lack of experience". Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela unrest toll rises as soldier is shot in head Monday, Mar 17, 2014 07:26 PM PDT  By Daniel Wallis and Diego Ore CARACAS (Reuters) - A Venezuela National Guard captain died on Monday after being shot in the head during a demonstration, the military said, the 29th fatality in six weeks of clashes between protesters and security forces. General Padrino Lopez, head of the armed forces' strategic operational command, said the captain was shot late on Sunday at a street barricade set up by demonstrators in the central city of Maracay, in Aragua state. "Our armed forces don't repress peaceful protests, they protect them." Since early February, students and hardline opposition leaders have been calling supporters onto the streets to protest against President Nicolas Maduro and his socialist government. The demonstrators are demanding political change and an end to high inflation, shortages of basic foods and one of the worst rates of violent crime in the world. Full Story | Top |
| Air Canada suspends flights to Caracas Monday, Mar 17, 2014 07:18 PM PDT (Reuters) - Air Canada has suspended flights to Caracas until further notice citing the ongoing civil unrest in Venezuela, and said it could no longer ensure the safety of its operation. The airline, which operates three return flights weekly between Toronto and Caracas, said the suspension is effective March 18. Since early February, students and hardline opposition leaders have been calling supporters onto the streets to protest against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his socialist government. Airlines have struggled to obtain dollars in exchange for the bolivar currency as a result of long-running delays in Venezuela's 11-year-old currency control system. Full Story | Top |
| U.S., EU set sanctions as Putin recognizes Crimea 'sovereignty' Monday, Mar 17, 2014 06:43 PM PDT  By Aleksandar Vasovic and Adrian Croft SIMFEROPOL/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States and European Union imposed personal sanctions on Monday on Russian and Crimean officials involved in the seizure of Crimea from Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing the region as a sovereign state. The moves heightened the most serious East-West crisis since the end of the Cold War, following a disputed referendum in the Black Sea peninsula on Sunday in which Crimea's leaders declared a Soviet-style, 97-percent vote to secede from Ukraine. Within hours, the Crimean parliament formally asked that Russia "admit the Republic of Crimea as a new subject with the status of a republic". Putin will on Tuesday address a special joint session of Russia's State Duma, or parliament, which could take a decision on annexation of the majority ethnic-Russian region. Full Story | Top |
| Tax cut clash looms as New York begins budget negotiations Monday, Mar 17, 2014 06:27 PM PDT  By Edward Krudy ALBANY, New York (Reuters) - New York state lawmakers kicked off what looks set to be an intense two weeks of negotiations over the state's $140 billion budget on Monday, with clashes looming over tax cuts and education spending. Both the Senate and the Assembly have advanced budgets that propose spending more than Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat up for re-election this year who has committed to cutting taxes by more than $2 billion over the next three years, with $500 million of that slated for 2014-2015. "Each house wants to have a lot more spending than the governor," said Elizabeth Lynam, a specialist in New York's state budget at the Citizens Budget Commission, an independent budget watchdog. "The governor is going to have to work hard to keep them reined in." Senate and Assembly leaders held the first general conference on Monday. Full Story | Top |
| Malaysian jet probe looks at suicide as possible motive Monday, Mar 17, 2014 06:22 PM PDT  No trace of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has been found since it vanished on March 8 with 239 people aboard. A search of unprecedented scale involving 26 countries is under way, covering an area stretching from the shores of the Caspian Sea in the north to deep in the southern Indian Ocean. Airline chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya also told a news conference on Monday that it was unclear exactly when one of the plane's automatic tracking systems had been disabled, appearing to contradict comments by government ministers at the weekend. Suspicions of hijacking or sabotage had hardened further when officials said on Sunday that the last radio message from the plane - an informal "all right, good night" - was spoken after the tracking system, known as "ACARS", was shut down. Full Story | Top |
| Japan to impose sanctions on Russia for Crimea move Monday, Mar 17, 2014 06:14 PM PDT TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will suspend talks on investment pact and relaxation of visa requirements as part of sanctions against Russia after Moscow recognized Crimea as a sovereign state, top government spokesman said on Tuesday. "Japanese government does not recognize a referendum in Crimea," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, adding that the referendum had no legal force as it was in breach of Ukraine's constitution. "The recognition of Crimean independence by Russia violates Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and is regrettable," he told a regular news conference. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama presses Abbas to help break stalemate with Israel Monday, Mar 17, 2014 06:12 PM PDT  By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama pressed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday to help break the stalemate in U.S.-brokered peace talks with Israel, saying leaders on both sides must take political risks before an April deadline. In White House talks overshadowed by the Ukraine crisis, Abbas acknowledged that time was running out for Middle East negotiations and called on Israel to go ahead with the release of a final group of Palestinian prisoners by the end of March to show it is serious about peace efforts. ... Full Story | Top |
| Third person dies from South by Southwest crash in Texas capital Monday, Mar 17, 2014 05:49 PM PDT By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A third person has died as a result of a motorist plowing his car into crowds of people outside of nightclubs, bars and restaurants last week at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, officials said on Monday. Sandy Thuy Le, 26, died on Monday surrounded by her family, relatives said. She was one of the five people listed in critical condition after the incident last Thursday. One of those victims remains in critical condition and another is in serious condition, police said. Full Story | Top |
| Men from Ukraine and New York indicted in U.S. cybercrime case Monday, Mar 17, 2014 05:47 PM PDT  By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors on Monday announced the indictment of three men they accuse of being members of an international cybercrime ring that tried to steal at least $15 million by hacking into U.S. customer accounts at 14 financial institutions and the Department of Defense's payroll service. ... Full Story | Top |
| California man arrested near U.S.-Canada border on terrorism charge Monday, Mar 17, 2014 05:45 PM PDT By Bryan Cohen SEATTLE (Reuters) - A California man who prosecutors say was on his way to Syria to join an al Qaeda splinter group was arrested on Monday near the U.S.-Canada border in Washington state on a terrorism charge, federal officials said. The U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement that 20-year-old Nicholas Teausant, an American-born convert to Islam, had planned to cross into Canada and travel on to Syria to join Islamist militants. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. administration says Obamacare enrollment tops 5 million Monday, Mar 17, 2014 05:21 PM PDT  By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 5 million people have enrolled in private health insurance under the law known as Obamacare since open enrollment began on October 1, the Obama administration said on Monday. With the March 31 enrollment deadline only two weeks away, a top administration official reported a big upswing in public interest in subsidized health insurance and said traffic on the federal website HealthCare.gov reached 1 million visitors over the weekend. The 5 million enrollee total marked an increase of at least 800,000 people since March 1, indicating that total enrollment could approach the 6 million figure estimated by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office if enrollment surges in the final weeks as administration officials have predicted. The CBO initially forecast 7 million enrollees in private health coverage, but scaled back its estimate after technical problems with the rollout that continue to afflict Obamacare insurance marketplaces operated by several states. Full Story | Top |
| Ex-BofA banker pleads guilty to theft, gets prison: Massachusetts AG Monday, Mar 17, 2014 05:21 PM PDT  A former personal banker at Bank of America Corp pleaded guilty on Monday to stealing more than $2.1 million from 31 people in a Ponzi-like scheme, and was sentenced to between three and five years in prison, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said. Elaina Patterson, 54, pleaded guilty to 31 larceny counts before Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Peter Lauriat over a scheme that lasted from 1999 to 2011 and targeted friends, family and the elderly, among others, Coakley said. The judge also sentenced Patterson, a resident of Wilmington, Massachusetts, to 10 years probation to be served after the prison term, Coakley said. According to the attorney general, Patterson persuaded 15 family members and friends to invest nearly $4.5 million in accounts that she claimed carried high interest rates, and which she could set up by virtue of her position at a Bank of America branch in Reading, Massachusetts, about 14 miles north of Boston. Full Story | Top |
| Amnesty accuses Cyprus of holding refugees in prison conditions Monday, Mar 17, 2014 05:04 PM PDT Cyprus routinely detains asylum seekers and refugees in prison-like conditions, sometimes breaking European Union law by holding them for more than an 18-month maximum, Amnesty International said on Monday. While Cyprus is not one of the main routes for migrants to reach Europe, thousands do enter the island each year and Amnesty accused the government of using detention as a way of discouraging the flow. "By detaining scores of people for months at a time, Cyprus is displaying a chilling lack of compassion and a complete disregard for its international obligations," said Sherif Elsayed-Ali, head of refugee and migrants' rights at Amnesty. "It is incomprehensible that the Cypriot authorities are detaining Syrian nationals ... when it is Cyprus' official policy not to return Syrians to Syria," Elsayed-Ali said. Full Story | Top |
| UK government hits back at critics on pay growth Monday, Mar 17, 2014 05:04 PM PDT  Most workers in Britain have seen their wages rise by more than inflation in recent years, the government said, seeking to counter a key argument of the opposition Labour party ahead of an election next year. Chancellor George Osborne, who is due to deliver his annual budget statement on Wednesday, has been under fire from Labour over what it calls Britain's cost-of-living crisis: slow wage growth and high inflation. But on Tuesday the Treasury said its research showed that wages of people who have held the same full-time job for at least a year have grown faster than inflation, in each year since 2006, apart from 2011 when inflation topped 5 percent. Overall wage growth in 2013 stood at 2.2 percent for full-time workers, lower than the 2.6 percent inflation rate during the year. Full Story | Top |
| Judge orders singer Chris Brown to stay in jail Monday, Mar 17, 2014 05:03 PM PDT  By Eric Kelsey LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Los Angeles judge on Monday ordered R&B singer Chris Brown to remain in jail at least until a probation violation hearing next month after the judge expressed concern about his ability to stay out of trouble. Brown, 24, was arrested last Friday when he was dismissed from a Malibu, California, rehabilitation facility, triggering a violation of the singer's court-ordered treatment related to his 2009 assault of his then-girlfriend, the singer Rihanna. The singer's probation violation hearing is scheduled for April 23 and is complicated by a misdemeanor assault case he faces in Washington, D.C. on April 17. Brown was dismissed from the rehab center for violating four in-house rules, including inappropriately touching a female client on the elbow, initially refusing a drug test and making a provocative statement, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Brandlin said. Full Story | Top |
| UK Treasury to name Anthony Habgood chairman of Bank of England's board: Sky Monday, Mar 17, 2014 05:02 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Britain's Treasury plans to name Anthony Habgood chairman of the Bank of England's board, its governing body, on Tuesday, Sky News reported on its website. The broadcaster, without citing sources, said the Treasury would appoint Habgood to the position on Tuesday morning and replace David Lees, who has chaired the bank's board since 2009. However, he was on the board of National Westminster Bank prior to its takeover by Royal Bank of Scotland in 2000. Full Story | Top |
| Kanye West placed on probation over scuffle with photographer Monday, Mar 17, 2014 04:59 PM PDT  Rapper Kanye West was placed on a two-year probation on Monday and ordered to complete community service and anger management sessions after pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges stemming from an altercation with a photographer last year, a court spokeswoman said. Grammy-winning West, 36, did not appear at the Los Angeles Superior Courthouse and the no contest plea was entered on his behalf by his attorney Blair Berk. Photographer Daniel Ramos attended the hearing with his attorney, Gloria Allred. West was placed on probation for 24 months and will have to complete 240 hours of community service and 24 anger management sessions. Full Story | Top |
| Florida legislature seeks compromise on reform of self-defense law Monday, Mar 17, 2014 04:54 PM PDT By Bill Cotterell MIAMI (Reuters) - A legislative committee took a major step toward clarifying Florida's hotly debated 'stand your ground' self-defense law on Monday, approving some restrictions on its use and clarifying that the statute does not permit 'vigilantism' by neighborhood watch activists. It also requires police to set forth rules for neighborhood watch groups, specifically providing that patrol volunteers may only notify police about suspicious persons and not pursue or confront them. The proposal resulted from the acquittal last year of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman in central Florida who shot an unarmed black teenager, Trayvon Martin, to death. Zimmerman did not claim pre-trial immunity from prosecution under the 'stand your ground' self-defense clause, but the law allowing use of deadly force in situations of reasonable fear of injury was read to the jury in final instructions, creating confusion in the minds of some jurors. Full Story | Top |
| Mother who drove kids into ocean off Florida needs psychiatric care-lawyer Monday, Mar 17, 2014 04:39 PM PDT The lawyer for a pregnant woman who drove a minivan with her children inside into the surf off a Florida beach wants her released into the care of a hospital psychiatric ward, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal. A public defender representing Ebony Wilkerson was set to argue for a reduction in her $1.2 million bond on three charges of attempted murder and three counts of child abuse. He said Wilkerson, 32, was being held naked in solitary confinement and watched by two corrections officers in a secure area at a local hospital, the newspaper reported. A tourist's video on March 4 showed lifeguards and bystanders rushing to help rescue Wilkerson and her children, ages 3, 9 and 10, as their van bobbed in the waves on Daytona Beach. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. TV pitchman Trudeau sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday, Mar 17, 2014 04:30 PM PDT By Mary Wisniewski CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. TV pitchman Kevin Trudeau, who was convicted last year of criminal contempt for exaggerating the contents of his weight-loss book in infomercials, was sentenced on Monday to 10 years in prison. Trudeau, 51, who has been held in federal custody since his conviction in November, will also have five years of supervised release after serving his sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Guzman said. Trudeau was found guilty last November of violating a 2004 federal court settlement with the Federal Trade Commission that barred him from misrepresenting the contents of his books in advertisements. A jury found he violated the agreement while marketing his book, "The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You To Know About," in infomercials made in 2006 and 2007 that aired about 32,000 times. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. tax preparer rules land in Congress, tough road ahead Monday, Mar 17, 2014 04:15 PM PDT  By Patrick Temple-West WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Obama administration push to clean up the tax preparation industry has landed in Congress where it is expected to stall, meaning further delays to rules to stamp out shoddy and deceptive tax preparers who are a drain on the U.S. Treasury and taxpayers. After setbacks in the courts, the Obama administration this month asked Congress to pass a law that would specifically empower the Internal Revenue Service to regulate preparers, from sector leader H&R Block Inc to thousands of mom-and-pop shops. The IRS had argued for years it did not need legislation to do this, but small-government activists recently prevailed in court in their effort to block the tax agency's attempts on its own to impose new regulations on up to 700,000 tax preparers. Concurring with the activists, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled last month that Congress never gave the IRS the power to impose test-taking and continuing education requirements on tax-return preparers. Full Story | Top |
| SocGen seeks to pay bankers bonuses up to double their salaries Monday, Mar 17, 2014 04:13 PM PDT  PARIS (Reuters) - France's No. 2 listed bank, Societe Generale, said it will ask shareholders for permission to pay some staff bonuses worth up to double their salaries, in accordance with the European Union cap on bonuses. SocGen disclosed on Monday a 299.8 million-euro compensation pool in 2013 for management, traders and employees whose activities have a material impact on the risk profile of the bank. Chief Executive Officer Frederic Oudea said last month the bonus pool would be down for 2013, after a 445. ... Full Story | Top |
| Oklahoma does not have drugs for Thursday execution, officials say Monday, Mar 17, 2014 04:13 PM PDT By Heide Brandes OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Oklahoma, as of Monday, did not have the drugs needed to conduct an execution scheduled for this week but aims to obtain chemicals for the lethal injection by the time the death sentence is to be implemented on Thursday, officials said. Several states, including Oklahoma, have had difficulty getting drugs used in the lethal injections after pharmaceutical companies, especially in Europe, clamped down on sales for executions due to opposition to capital punishment. According to court documents filed by the state on Monday, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections "remains without the drugs to carry out the lawful sentences of death" for two inmates the state plans to execute this month. Attorneys for inmates Clayton Lockett, who is scheduled to be executed on Thursday, and Charles Warner, who is scheduled to be executed on March 27, requested their death sentences be put on hold due to uncertainty over the drugs. Full Story | Top |
| Azerbaijan sentences opposition leaders as crackdown on critics eyed Monday, Mar 17, 2014 04:12 PM PDT By Nailia Bagirova Margarita Antidze BAKU (Reuters) - Azerbaijan sentenced the deputy head of the biggest opposition party and the leader of a human rights group to prison terms, a court spokesman said on Monday, in a case that critics say highlights a government-led crackdown in the oil-rich country. Azerbaijan, a largely Muslim former Soviet republic in the South Caucasus, serves as a transit route for U.S. troops in Afghanistan as well as the source of energy supplies destined to Europe. The country is governed by strongman Ilham Aliyev, whose rule is often lambasted by international rights organizations for curbing public dissent and freedom of speech. Tofig Yagublu, deputy head of the opposition Musavat Party, and Ilgar Mammadov, leader of the rights group Republican Alternative (ReAl), were sentenced to five years and seven years, respectively, according to the court spokesman. Full Story | Top |
| Iran, six powers seek nuclear progress in shadow of Ukraine crisis Monday, Mar 17, 2014 04:09 PM PDT  By Fredrik Dahl and Parisa Hafezi VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran and six world powers will try to make headway toward resolving their nuclear dispute in talks starting in Vienna on Tuesday, with Western officials hoping the uphill challenge will not be made even more difficult by the Ukraine crisis. So far, diplomats say, there is little sign that the worst East-West confrontation since the Cold War will undermine the quest for a deal to end the long standoff over Iran's atomic activity and avert the threat of a Middle East war. ... Full Story | Top |
| High-tech goods to lead trade growth over next 15 years: HSBC Monday, Mar 17, 2014 04:07 PM PDT  Exports of high-tech products will grow more quickly than exports of other goods over the next 15 years as emerging Asia moves away from being a low-cost production hub for foreign brands and toward developing value-added local products, according to research from HSBC. High-tech goods would make up more than 25 percent of goods traded by 2030 compared to 22 percent in 2013, HSBC said in its latest global trade report, which forecast trade would pick up only slowly in the near term. The value of global goods trade would rise at an average rate of 8 percent a year from 2014 to 2030, with high-tech goods rising about 9 percent a year, HSBC said. HSBC said much of the future increase in high-tech trade would be driven by internationalization of supply chains, with parts for high-tech products crisscrossing national borders, but Asian firms would also snare market share from Western competitors. Full Story | Top |
| White House says rethinking strategy for Surgeon General nominee Monday, Mar 17, 2014 03:57 PM PDT  By Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Monday said it would shift its strategy for winning Senate confirmation of its choice for the next U.S. surgeon general after President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats helped sink another of his nominees this month. White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters the administration expects Vivek Hallegere Murthy, the head of a doctors group, to eventually be confirmed by the U.S. Senate and is not reconsidering withdrawing Murthy's nomination for the top health post. Earlier this month, seven Democrats broke ranks and joined Republicans to block the nomination of lawyer Debo Adegbile to head the Justice Department's civil rights division. Murthy's appointment passed a key Senate panel with bipartisan support. Full Story | Top |
| Ahead of bankruptcy hearing, LightSquared seeks finding against Ergen Monday, Mar 17, 2014 03:49 PM PDT  By Nick Brown NEW YORK (Reuters) - Broadband company LightSquared on Monday urged a judge to find that its largest creditor, Dish Network Corp Chairman Charles Ergen, acquired his debt holding improperly. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Shelley Chapman was hearing closing arguments in a trial over whether Ergen concealed his identity to acquire his controlling stake of LightSquared's debt. The outcome of the trial is likely to determine the fate of LightSquared's wireless rights after it emerges from Chapter 11. "There's no question that Ergen was a competitor" of LightSquared, and should not have been able to buy its debt, a lawyer for LightSquared, Andrew LeBlanc, told Chapman. Full Story | Top |
| Prison, indictment no bar to victory in Illinois primary: experts Monday, Mar 17, 2014 03:32 PM PDT By Mary Wisniewski CHICAGO (Reuters) - In the Illinois primary elections on Tuesday, candidates on Chicago's Democratic ballot will include someone who served a prison term for bribery, another who is due to go on trial on bribery charges this spring and a third charged with bank fraud. "It's a terrible indictment" of the local political culture, said Dick Simpson, a former Chicago alderman who teaches at University of Illinois at Chicago. The candidates include Isaac "Ike" Carothers, a former Chicago alderman who was sentenced to 28 months for bribery and tax fraud, and is now running for commissioner of the Cook County Board. Derrick Smith, a state representative, was expelled by the Illinois House in 2012 after he was charged with taking a $7,000 bribe, but then won his seat back and is now running for re-election. Full Story | Top |
| Singer Chris Brown to remain in jail until probation hearing Monday, Mar 17, 2014 03:21 PM PDT By Eric Kelsey LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - R&B singer Chris Brown on Monday was ordered by a Los Angeles judge to remain in jail at least until his April 23 probation violation hearing, related to his 2009 assault of his then-girlfriend, the singer Rihanna. He had spent the weekend at Los Angeles County's aging Men's Central Jail. Brown also said to a group, "I am good at using guns and knives," which Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Brandlin said was troubling. Full Story | Top |
| Analysis points to China's work on new anti-satellite weapon Monday, Mar 17, 2014 03:07 PM PDT By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A detailed analysis of satellite imagery published Monday provides additional evidence that a Chinese rocket launch in May 2013 billed as a research mission was actually a test of a new anti-satellite weapon based on a road-mobile ballistic missile. Brian Weeden, a former U.S. Air Force space analyst, published a 47-page analysis on the website of The Space Review, which he said showed that China appears to be testing a kinetic interceptor launched by a new rocket that could reach geostationary orbit about 36,000 km (22,500 miles) above the earth. "If true, this would represent a significant development in China's anti-satellite (ASAT) capabilities," wrote Weeden, now a technical adviser for Secure World Foundation, a Colorado-based nonprofit focused on secure and peaceful uses of outer space. "No other country has tested a direct ascent ASAT weapon system that has the potential to reach deep space satellites in medium earth orbit, highly elliptical orbit or geostationary orbit," he wrote, referring to orbital paths that are above 2,000 km (1,250 miles) over the earth. Full Story | Top |
| Sex assault charges dropped in rare court-martial of U.S. general Monday, Mar 17, 2014 02:54 PM PDT  By Kelly Twedell FORT BRAGG, North Carolina (Reuters) - A U.S. Army general was cleared of sexual assault charges on Monday but admitted, as part of a plea deal in the rare court-martial of a senior military officer, that he mistreated a captain during an illicit sexual relationship. Brigadier General Jeffrey Sinclair also pleaded guilty to using his government credit card for expenses connected to the affair and referring to other female officers with derogatory names in an agreement with the government that dismissed the most serious allegations against him. The 27-year Army veteran said he knew the female Army captain with whom he had a three-year extramarital affair was enamored by his rank, and he led her on despite knowing he would never divorce his wife. When he grew fearful that his subordinate would expose what he said was a consensual relationship, he flirted with other women and was cold to her in hopes she would break off the secret liaison that spanned two war zones, Sinclair told a judge. Full Story | Top |
| GM recalls 1.5 million more vehicles; CEO says 'terrible things happened' Monday, Mar 17, 2014 02:28 PM PDT  By Ben Klayman DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co announced new recalls of 1.5 million vehicles on Monday and in a virtually unprecedented public admission by a GM chief executive, Mary Barra acknowledged the company fell short in catching faulty ignition switches linked to 12 deaths. Barra said the company is changing how it handles defect investigations and recalls. In the last two months, GM has recalled more than 3.1 million vehicles in the United States and other markets. The actions started with last month's recall of more than 1.6 million vehicles for faulty ignition switches. Full Story | Top |
| Republican lodges ethics complaint against rival over Herbalife Monday, Mar 17, 2014 02:25 PM PDT  By Svea Herbst-Bayliss BOSTON (Reuters) - The Massachusetts Republican candidate for Democratic U.S. Senator Edward Markey's seat on Monday filed an ethics complaint against his rival on the grounds he may have acted improperly in asking regulators to investigate nutrition company Herbalife. Markey had called on the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission in January to investigate Herbalife after he said constituents complained they lost thousands of dollars after signing on as distributors. Herr, who is seeking to unseat Markey in November elections, said that Markey's move caused Herbalife's stock to drop 14 percent and helped hedge fund manager William Ackman's $1 billion short bet against the company. "All you have to do is connect the dots to easily see that Senator Markey used his public office to manipulate the stock of a publicly traded company in order to financially benefit a campaign donor," Herr said. Full Story | Top |
| Former Louisiana Gov. Edwards, a convicted felon, to run for Congress Monday, Mar 17, 2014 02:20 PM PDT  By Kathy Finn NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards, who had served an eight-year prison term on racketeering charges, said on Monday he will seek election to the U.S. Congress. "I've given a great deal of thought to this ... and I acknowledge that there are good reasons why I should not run ... but there are better reasons why I should," Edwards told reporters at the press club in Baton Rouge, part of the district he is seeking to represent. Edwards said he is eligible to run for the U.S. House seat because nothing in the U.S. Constitution precludes a felon from becoming a member of Congress. Edwards said improving access to health insurance for Louisiana residents is a priority. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Forex swings cost U.S. firms $6 billion in fourth-quarter revenue - study Monday, Mar 17, 2014 02:17 PM PDT  By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - Swings in the foreign exchange market cost U.S.-based multinational corporations nearly $6 billion in revenue in the fourth quarter, according to a report by currency risk management consulting firm FiREapps on Monday. Phoenix-based FiREapps analyzes the currency effects on quarterly earnings of 846 publicly traded companies, a subset of the Fortune 2000 companies that generate at least 15 percent of international revenue in two or more currencies. The average hit to earnings per share from foreign exchange among the companies disclosing impact on EPS was $0.03 in the fourth quarter, the same as in the previous quarters of 2013. Full Story | Top |
| Despite scandal, Indonesia election could entrench political dynasties Monday, Mar 17, 2014 02:13 PM PDT  By Andrew R.C. Marshall MAKASSAR, Indonesia (Reuters) - Makassar is a scrappy, traffic-choked port city in South Sulawesi where everybody knows your name. The family of Syahrul Yasin Limpo, the second-term governor of this resource-rich Indonesian province, has dominated local politics for three generations, and a fourth waits in the wings. Eight of Limpo's close relatives will run in the country's parliamentary elections on April 9: two sisters, one brother, two brothers-in-law, two nephews and a daughter. It all adds up to a formidable dynasty in a country where political families are both increasingly common and dogged by allegations of corruption, neglect and misrule. Full Story | Top |
| Alberta government shaken by defections as popularity fades Monday, Mar 17, 2014 02:08 PM PDT  By Scott Haggett CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Alberta's Progressive Conservative government, which has run the oil-rich Canadian province for more than four decades, suffered another defection on Monday in what was the latest protest against the leadership of Premier Alison Redford. Donna Kennedy-Glans, a junior member of Redford's cabinet, said on Monday she would resign as associate minister for electricity and renewable energy and sit as an independent in the provincial legislature. "Since being elected ... and particularly since joining cabinet, I am increasingly convinced that elements of this 43-year-old government are simply unable to make the changes needed to achieve that dream of a better Alberta," Kennedy-Glans said in a statement. The resignation is the second from the Progressive Conservative caucus in less than a week. Full Story | Top |
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