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| Obama says Russia has violated international law in Ukraine Monday, Mar 03, 2014 07:18 PM PST  By Mark Felsenthal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Monday that Russia violated international law with its military intervention in Ukraine and warned that the U.S. government would look at a series of economic and diplomatic sanctions to isolate Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin needs to allow international monitors to mediate a deal in Ukraine acceptable to all Ukrainian people, Obama told reporters before he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The U.S. is weighing its response to Russia's so far bloodless incursion into Crimea. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. halts military engagements with Russia in rebuke over Ukraine Monday, Mar 03, 2014 07:16 PM PST By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Monday suspended all military engagements with Russia, including military exercises and port visits, as Washington sought ways to punish Moscow over its military intervention in Ukraine without escalating the crisis. The announcement from the Pentagon came hours after President Barack Obama warned the U.S. government will look at a series of economic and diplomatic sanctions that would isolate Moscow. Full Story | Top |
| Obama's caution on Ukraine may loom over midterm election Monday, Mar 03, 2014 07:15 PM PST  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With Russia's incursion into Ukraine reviving Cold War-style tensions, President Barack Obama is at risk of suffering a blow to his credibility at a time when he can least afford it: as he tries to convince voters to stick with his fellow Democrats in congressional elections that will help shape his legacy. For five years, Obama has practiced a cautious approach to foreign policy crises, prizing sober diplomacy and the search for consensus over brinkmanship, in prolonged conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the deliberative style that Obama's team sees as a statesmanlike attitude in tune with Americans' war-weariness, was described as dithering in the crisis over Syria, where the United States long discussed military action without committing. Facing his toughest test yet in Ukraine, Obama is once again finding himself portrayed as a weak leader, outmaneuvered by a wily, opportunistic Russian President Vladimir Putin intent on reviving the United States' nemesis. Full Story | Top |
| Detroit asks bankruptcy court to approve new deal to end swaps Monday, Mar 03, 2014 07:03 PM PST  Detroit on Monday said it reached an agreement with two investment banks to end costly interest rate swaps, a move that could give Detroit access to revenue from casino taxes and give it leverage in efforts to win court approval for the city's plan to restructure its debt. The deal to terminate the swaps, which were used to hedge interest rate risk on some Detroit pension debt, would cost the bankrupt city just $85 million. That is a steep drop from two previous deals that carried price tags of $165 million and around $230 million, respectively and were rejected by U.S. bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes as being too expensive for the broke city. Detroit late Monday filed a motion asking Rhodes, who is overseeing the city's historic municipal bankruptcy case, to approve the new deal. Full Story | Top |
| Russian markets plunge as Putin tightens Crimea grip Monday, Mar 03, 2014 07:00 PM PST  By Lidia Kelly and Alissa de Carbonnel MOSCOW/PEREVALNOYE, Ukraine (Reuters) - Russia paid a heavy financial price on Monday for its military intervention in neighboring Ukraine, with stocks, bonds and the ruble plunging as President Vladimir Putin's forces tightened their grip on the Russian-speaking Crimea region. The Moscow stock market fell 10.8 percent, wiping nearly $60 billion off the value of Russian companies, more than the $51 billion Russia spent on the Winter Olympics in Sochi last month. Putin declared at the weekend he had the right to invade Ukraine to protect Russian interests and citizens. Moscow's U.N. envoy told a stormy meeting of the Security Council on Monday that Ukraine's ousted leader Viktor Yanukovich had sent a letter to Putin requesting he use Russia's military to restore law and order in Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Navy to order 33 fewer F-35s than planned in next 5 yrs -source Monday, Mar 03, 2014 06:46 PM PST By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy is set to order 33 fewer Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets than originally planned over the five years starting in fiscal 2015 due to budgetary pressures, a defense official said Monday. In a move that will sharply slow work on the F-35 model built to land on aircraft carriers, the Navy will ask Congress to fund 36 F-35Cs instead of 69, said the official, who could not speak publicly ahead of Tuesday's release of the 2015 budget request. The Air Force is also deferring orders for four conventional landing F-35 A-models in fiscal 2015, but is expected to resume its planned orders for the jet in 2016 and beyond, said a second source familiar with the plans. That adds up to 343 F-35s to be funded by the U.S. military through fiscal 2019, excluding three Marine Corps jets that could be added to the Pentagon's war funding request, which will be submitted in April or May. Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale told a conference last week that the department's decision to buy eight fewer F-35s in fiscal 2015 was based on affordability, not the aircraft's performance. Full Story | Top |
| Obama 2015 budget seeks $60 billion tax credit expansion: White House Monday, Mar 03, 2014 06:04 PM PST  By Mark Felsenthal and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will strike a firmly populist tone in his 2015 budget plan on Tuesday, proposing to pay for an expansion of a popular tax credit for the working poor by eliminating tax breaks claimed by wealthy Americans. The proposal to expand one of the most popular U.S. government poverty reduction programs, the Earned Income Tax Credit, would cost $60 billion, a modest amount in a budget in which the president has $1.014 trillion in spending to parcel out, the White House said. Obama would pay for the tax credit expansion by closing tax loopholes used typically by wealthy investors or employees of professional service companies such as law, consulting or lobbying firms. Even so, Obama's budget recommendation stands little or no chance of being approved as is by Congress, where Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, disagree with the president's policy priorities, such as spending government money on job training. Full Story | Top |
| South Carolina, rights groups settle immigration law challenge Monday, Mar 03, 2014 05:54 PM PST By Harriet McLeod CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - In a victory for immigrant rights supporters, South Carolina said on Monday it would no longer defend a key part of a 2011 law that required police to check the immigration status of people during stops. State officials and a coalition of immigrant rights groups have agreed to settle a legal dispute over the law centering on its "show me your papers" section. In court documents filed on Monday in federal court in Charleston, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said the state interprets the provision to mean that police cannot detain someone solely to check their papers after the original reason for the stop has ended. South Carolina's law also does not allow police to jail a person simply to determine the person's immigration status or to arrest a person believed to be in the country unlawfully, state Solicitor General Robert D. Cook wrote in a letter to Judge Richard M. Gergel. Full Story | Top |
| Fear of losing tech edge factors into Pentagon budget plans Monday, Mar 03, 2014 05:36 PM PST  By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Concerns that cuts in defense spending could erode the U.S. military's technological edge over rivals such as Russia and China are in part driving the Pentagon's plans to slash troop levels and retire aging weapons. U.S. defense officials have watched in recent years as Moscow and Beijing have tested a string of sophisticated weapons, from radar-evading aircraft and anti-ship missiles that fly many times the speed of sound, to integrated air defenses. "The development and proliferation of more advanced military technologies by other nations means that we are entering an era where American dominance on the seas, in the skies, and in space can no longer be taken for granted," Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said last week. Hagel will unveil a 2015 budget on Tuesday that includes cutting the Army by 40,000 to 50,000 troops to levels last seen before the United States entered World War Two and killing off the fleet of tank-killing A-10 "Warthog" aircraft. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. court rejects BP appeal over Gulf spill losses Monday, Mar 03, 2014 05:26 PM PST  A divided U.S. appeals court on Monday rejected BP Plc's bid to block businesses from recovering money over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, even if they could not trace their economic losses to the disaster. By a 2-1 vote, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld a December 24 ruling by U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans, authorizing the payments on so-called business economic loss claims. Monday's decision is a setback for BP's effort to limit payments over the April 20, 2010, explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and rupture of BP's Macondo oil well. Barbier had ruled that BP would have to live with its earlier interpretation of a multi-billion dollar settlement agreement over the spill, in which certain businesses claiming losses were presumed to have suffered harm. Full Story | Top |
| Japan finance minister: Gathering facts on bitcoin, unsure whether crime involved Monday, Mar 03, 2014 05:14 PM PST  Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Tuesday that the government is still trying to figure out what has led to the collapse of the Tokyo-based bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox and is not sure whether crime is involved. "(We) don't know if it was a crime or just a bankruptcy." Mt. Gox, once the world's biggest bitcoin exchange, filed for bankruptcy protection in Japan on Friday, saying it may have lost nearly half a billion dollars worth of the virtual currency due to hacking into its faulty computer system. Full Story | Top |
| New U.S. fuel standards aim to cut asthma, heart attacks Monday, Mar 03, 2014 05:10 PM PST  By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Monday announced new fuel and automobile rules to cut soot, smog and toxic emissions, which it says will reduce asthma and heart attacks in the United States. The rules unveiled by the Environmental Protection Agency will cut sulfur levels in gasoline by more than 60 percent and will be phased in between 2017 and 2025. Health advocates praised the move, while a petroleum refiners' group called the compliance schedule unrealistic and warned that these regulations and others would eventually raise gasoline prices throughout the country. "By reducing these pollutants and making our air healthier, we will bring relief to those suffering from asthma, other lung diseases and cardiovascular disease, and to the nation as a whole," said Dr. Albert Rizzo, former chairman of the American Lung Association. Full Story | Top |
| Florida hospital settles part of whistleblower suit -lawyer Monday, Mar 03, 2014 04:59 PM PST By Barbara Liston ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - A Florida hospital on Monday settled for $80 million to $90 million part of a federal whistleblower lawsuit that accused it of Medicare fraud and kickbacks to its cancer doctors and neurosurgeons, according to a lawyer for the whistleblower. Halifax Health, a 678-bed hospital in Daytona Beach serving Florida's East Coast, reached the tentative settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice on the morning that jury selection was set to begin in the U.S. District Court in Orlando, said Atlanta lawyer Marlan Wilbanks, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of former hospital employee Elin Baklid-Kunz. Full Story | Top |
| Michigan stumbles in court defending same-sex marriage ban Monday, Mar 03, 2014 04:45 PM PST By Rachel Jackson DETROIT (Reuters) - The Michigan defense of its same-sex marriage ban got off to a rough start on Monday when its first witness at a federal trial was dismissed for not being qualified, dealing a blow in what may be an uphill battle to keep its law on the books. Last week, two federal judges ruled same-sex marriage restrictions in Texas and Kentucky were unconstitutional, the latest in a string of court victories for gay rights advocates. U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman said that Sherif Girgis, a doctoral student in philosophy who wrote a book defending marriage as between a man and woman, did not have enough accomplishments to be considered an expert witness. In opposing gay marriage, Michigan has focused on the well-being of children, arguing that their interests are best served by having both a father and a mother, a position dismissed by gay rights advocates and their allies. Full Story | Top |
| Ex-U.S. magistrate who changed baby's name from 'Messiah' censured Monday, Mar 03, 2014 04:26 PM PST By Tim Ghianni NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - A former Tennessee magistrate who ruled last summer that a baby could not be called "Messiah" because that name was reserved for Jesus Christ was censured on Monday for bias. Lu Ann Ballew was found guilty of violating judicial canons regarding impartiality and bias by a six-member panel of the Tennessee Judicial Board of Conduct. She was fired in January after being cited for religious bias in her decision. The penalty will be spelled out later in a written opinion, according to Michele Wojciechowski, spokeswoman for Tennessee's administrative office of the courts. Full Story | Top |
| Toyota sees 2014 Europe sales at more than 865,000 units Monday, Mar 03, 2014 04:19 PM PST  Toyota Motor Corp expects to sell more than 865,000 vehicles in Europe this year, up from 847,530 in 2013, helped by a gradually recovering market and the popularity of its hybrid models, the head of its European operations said on Monday. Didier Leroy also said the company expects to grow its market share in Europe from last year's 4.7 percent. Toyota still targets sales in the region of 1 million by 2015, Leroy said, but added he would not push to reach that target if it cannot be done profitably. "If I can achieve profitable growth by pushing to 1 million, I will." Leroy also said he expected to boost Toyota's profitability in Europe in the financial year to the end of March after operating profit already jumped 56 percent to 327 million euros ($450.39 million) in the first nine months. Full Story | Top |
| At White House, Israel's Netanyahu pushes back against Obama diplomacy Monday, Mar 03, 2014 04:16 PM PST  By Jeffrey Heller and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bluntly told Barack Obama on Monday that he would never compromise on Israel's security even as the U.S. president sought to reassure him on Iran nuclear diplomacy and pressure him on Middle East peace talks. In a White House meeting overshadowed by the Ukraine crisis, the two leaders avoided any direct clash during a brief press appearance but were unable to paper over differences on a pair of sensitive diplomatic drives that have stoked tensions between them. Obama assured Netanyahu of his "absolute commitment" to preventing Iran from developing atomic weapons, despite the Israeli leader's deep skepticism over U.S.-led efforts to reach a final international deal to curb Tehran's nuclear program. But, warning that time was running out, Obama also urged Netanyahu to make "tough decisions" to help salvage a faltering U.S.-brokered peace process aimed at reaching a framework agreement with the Palestinians and extending talks beyond an April target date for an elusive final accord. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. attorney subpoenaed Mt Gox, other bitcoin businesses: source Monday, Mar 03, 2014 04:16 PM PST  By Emily Flitter NEW YORK (Reuters) - Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara has sent subpoenas to Mt. Gox, other bitcoin exchanges, and businesses that deal in bitcoin to seek information on how they handled recent cyber attacks, a source familiar with the probe said on Wednesday. At least three exchanges were forced to halt withdrawals of bitcoins on February 7, including Mt. Gox, which was the largest at the time. Mt. Gox never resumed service before going dormant on Tuesday, leaving customers unable to recover their funds. "As there is a lot of speculation regarding Mt Gox and its future, I would like to use this opportunity to reassure everyone that I am still in Japan, and working very hard with the support of different parties to find a solution to our recent issues," Karpeles said in a statement posted on the Mt. Gox website. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine crisis new rallying point for U.S. energy export backers Monday, Mar 03, 2014 04:11 PM PST By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Supporters of U.S. energy exports have pounced on the crisis in Ukraine to press their case for faster approvals of liquid natural gas (LNG) projects and for an end to the decades-long ban on exports of most U.S. crude oil. LNG supplies from the United States could help some Western European countries react to any Russian aggression in coming years, but because of added transportation costs the fuel could be too expensive for others in Central Europe who are likely to remain dependent on neighbors, energy experts said. As President Vladimir Putin's forces tightened their grip on the Crimea peninsula in the Ukraine on Monday, the moves heightened concerns that the crisis could widen and that Russia could slash its shipments of natural gas to Europe, about half of which are sent through the Ukraine via pipeline. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. lawmakers ready to act over Ukraine, but want Europe to step up Monday, Mar 03, 2014 04:05 PM PST  By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers expressed support on Monday for aid for Ukraine's new government, as well as sanctions to punish Russia for its military incursion into the neighboring country, but want European nations to step up their involvement in the crisis. Senators are looking at options such as imposing sanctions on Russia's banks and freezing assets of Russian public institutions and private investors, Senator Chris Murphy, chairman of the Senate's Europe subcommittee, told Reuters. But he said in a telephone interview that European governments also needed to act. "Unilateral U.S. sanctions against Russia are not going to have much of an effect if Europe remains a haven for Russian banks and Russian oligarchs to stash and invest their money," the Connecticut Democrat said. Full Story | Top |
| Scottish leader to take independence fight to London Monday, Mar 03, 2014 04:05 PM PST  By Belinda Goldsmith LONDON (Reuters) - An independent Scotland would be a prosperous country that would retain close ties with the United Kingdom if voters choose to go it alone in the September 18 referendum, Scottish leader Alex Salmond will say on Tuesday. Salmond will use his first speech in London this year to address arguments against independence by British Prime Minister David Cameron, opposition leaders and some business executives. Heading the campaign for secession, Salmond is battling a concerted effort by London to prevent a "yes" vote by undermining his Scottish National Party's central case that oil-producing Scotland could be a prosperous, independent nation. A vote for independence would not mean ending ties with the United Kingdom, he will say. Full Story | Top |
| Florida lawmakers hope Mickey Mouse can coexist with high rollers Monday, Mar 03, 2014 03:51 PM PST By Bill Cotterell TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - A state Senate special committee has offered a plan to allow two huge casinos in south Florida, setting up an election-year skirmish between traditional "family fun" tourism interests and developers eager to draw young gamblers away from Caribbean island resorts. "We're getting ready to roll the dice," Senator Garrett Richter said at the start of a 90-minute meeting on the eve of Florida's 2014 legislative session which convenes on Tuesday. The Senate Select Committee on Gaming did not vote on the three bills before it, including a constitutional amendment limiting future gambling growth and the massive rearrangement of betting laws ranging from casinos to the state lottery. Platoons of lobbyists are also mobilized to defend interests of well-established pari-mutuel horse, dog and jai-alai businesses, as well as the Disney-style attractions in central Florida that want to preserve the state's family vacation image. Full Story | Top |
| Michigan man sentenced for three-day shooting spree on interstate Monday, Mar 03, 2014 03:42 PM PST (Reuters) - A Michigan man was sentenced to 18 to 40 years in prison for a three-day firing spree in 2012 on an interstate highway that earned him the nickname the "I-96 shooter," prosecutors said on Monday. A Livingston County jury on January 29 found Raulie Casteel, 44, guilty of terrorism, assault with a dangerous weapon, firing a weapon from a vehicle and other felony weapons charges. A resident of Wixom, Michigan, northwest of Detroit, Casteel was convicted of shooting at 23 vehicles in a four-county area in southeastern Michigan, mostly on or near Interstate 96 from October 16 to 18, 2012. Schools changed bus routes, commuters took back roads to and from work, and sports fans feared traveling to college sporting events because of the Casteel's shooting spree, Attorney General Bill Schuette said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| From India's northern backwaters, a new business elite rises Monday, Mar 03, 2014 03:36 PM PST  By Sanjeev Miglani PATNA, India (Reuters) - Ravindra Kishore Sinha built India's largest security business from a garage in the dirt-poor state of Bihar. He has just won a seat in the upper house of parliament, becoming its richest member, and his Security and Intelligence Services (SIS India) firm is growing at 40 percent a year. A few hundred miles to the west, but still in northern India, the Gupta family of Kanpur has transformed Dainik Jagran, which was born in the tumult of the independence movement, into a newspaper giant with the world's highest readership. Full Story | Top |
| Microsoft makes pollster Penn head of strategy, exact role unclear Monday, Mar 03, 2014 03:19 PM PST  By Bill Rigby SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp on Monday put pugnacious pollster and political adviser Mark Penn in charge of strategy but left company watchers uncertain what exactly his new role will entail. In the newly created job of chief strategy officer, Penn's "blend of data analysis and creativity" will be applied across new product areas and strategic investments, not just marketing, new Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella told employees in a memo. The shift for 60-year-old Penn, who made his name advising President Bill Clinton, theoretically gives him more power to sway Microsoft's direction. But it also means he relinquishes direct control of marketing, which will be taken over by Microsoft veteran Chris Capossela. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. government, Sprint to fight in court over wiretap expenses Monday, Mar 03, 2014 03:19 PM PST  Sprint Corp and the U.S. government said on Monday they will face off in court over how much money law enforcement agencies owe the wireless provider for help the company was required to give investigators who wanted to tap phone calls. The Obama administration filed a suit in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Monday, alleging that Sprint overcharged the government $21 million for expenses it incurred while complying with court-ordered wiretaps and other surveillance help. Sprint said it plans to defend the matter "vigorously." Telecommunications companies, including Sprint, are routinely asked to assist with investigations by helping facilitate phone surveillance such as wiretaps or so-called "pen registers," which record data about phone calls, though not their content. They are allowed to request reimbursements for related "reasonable expenses." In the case, San Francisco U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag alleged that Sprint "knowingly submitted false claims" to the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Marshals Service and other law enforcement agencies from January 1, 2007 to July 31, 2010, inflating costs by about 58 percent. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Senate committee consulting on sanctions against Russians Monday, Mar 03, 2014 03:10 PM PST The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee is preparing legislation to provide support to Ukraine and consulting with the Obama administration on possible sanctions against individual Russians, and Ukrainians cooperating with them, the committee's chairman said on Monday. "Russia's military intervention in Ukraine constitutes a clear violation of international law and demands a swift and coordinated response from the international community to support the Ukraine and counter Russian efforts to annex Ukrainian territory by force," Senator Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, said in a statement. The Senate panel is developing a legislative package, supported by both Democrats and Republicans, to authorize funds to provide at least $1 billion in loan guarantees to provide structural support to Ukraine's economy, Menendez said. It would also authorize technical assistance for energy reforms and to provide election support, strengthen civil society, fight corruption and help Ukraine recover stolen assets. Full Story | Top |
| Government spying tools will worsen Internet security: experts Monday, Mar 03, 2014 03:04 PM PST  By Joseph Menn SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Electronic spying tools used by the U.S. government could end up in the hands of organized criminals and hackers, further eroding Internet security, warned industry leaders who called for new restrictions and oversight of government activity. "It is a big worry" that the methods will spread, said Andrew France, former deputy director of the UK's NSA equivalent, GCHQ, and now chief executive of security startup Darktrace. The government habit of purchasing information about undisclosed holes in software is also "really troublesome," said former White House cyber security advisor Howard Schmidt. "There's collateral damage." Both France and Schmidt spoke to Reuters at the annual RSA Conference, the world's largest cyber security gathering, in San Francisco last week. Full Story | Top |
| Art theft experts offer to help Cuba recover missing works Monday, Mar 03, 2014 03:03 PM PST  By David Quinones MIAMI (Reuters) - One of the world's leading databases of stolen works of art is offering to help the Cuban government recover dozens of modernist works missing from Havana's National Museum of Fine Arts. The heist was confirmed late last week by officials with Cuba's state-run National Council of Cultural Heritage, which added it was in the process of finishing an inventory of the missing pieces which will be made public. Miami gallery owner Ramon Cernuda, a Cuban-American exile and prominent collector of Cuban art, alerted the Havana museum last month after he became suspicious of 11 works being offered for sale in Miami, including one he purchased. The disclosure of the theft is a first for the Cuban government since Fidel Castro took power in 1959. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine cancels friendly against U.S. Monday, Mar 03, 2014 02:58 PM PST Ukraine have cancelled their soccer friendly against the United States in Cyprus on Wednesday, national football federation president Anatoliy Konkov said on Monday. "We cannot hold the national championship so what kind of football can we talk of at all? If we do not have an opportunity to play on home soil, why shall we go to Cyprus in those troubled times for your country? Our team do not fly to Cyprus and stay at home," Konkov told the ICTV channel. Full Story | Top |
| 'High use' pain killer addicts get fix from doctors, dealers: study Monday, Mar 03, 2014 02:56 PM PST By Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Most Americans who abuse prescription pain killers get them free from friends or family, but a new study released on Monday shows that addicts who use these opiates most frequently gravitate toward doctors or dealers to get their fixes. U.S. government researchers found that nearly one in three "high use" abusers - people who take opioids between 200 and 365 days a year - obtained a doctor's prescription for the drugs, compared with about one in five of those who used the drugs less than 30 days over the course of a year. Prevention programs should concentrate much more on ensuring that doctors prescribe pain killers judiciously, screen patients carefully and conduct follow-up monitoring of frequent users. "This is the group where we really need to be targeting our efforts because they're most at risk for overdose or dependence," lead author Christopher Jones, former head of the CDC's prescription drug overdose team, told Reuters. Full Story | Top |
| Wall Street sells off as Ukraine-Russia tension rises Monday, Mar 03, 2014 02:49 PM PST  By Angela Moon NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks tumbled on Monday alongside other risky assets globally as tensions in Ukraine and Russia escalated after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared he had the right to invade his neighbor. News that Ukraine mobilized for war on Sunday and Washington threatened to isolate Russia economically overshadowed better-than-expected U.S. data, including an index showing that factory activity rebounded from an eight-month low in February. The S&P 500 had closed at a record high on Friday, and profit-taking was expected on Wall Street due to the political uncertainty. "It's too early to tell whether this would be a buying opportunity because we need to see how this (tension between Ukraine and Russia) plays out. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. factory, spending data hint at improving economy Monday, Mar 03, 2014 02:40 PM PST  By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. factory activity rebounded last month from an eight-month low and consumer spending increased more than expected in January, suggesting the economy was regaining some strength after abruptly slowing in recent months. The signs of a comeback, also evident in a surprise gain in construction spending, should bolster the Federal Reserve's resolve to keep scaling back its massive monetary stimulus. "The economy is beginning the slow process of digging its way out of the weather-induced slowdown of recent months," said Millan Mulraine, deputy chief economist at TD Securities in New York. Manufacturers said cold weather was still hindering operations: hampering logistics, causing back-ups at ports and disrupting supplies of raw materials. Full Story | Top |
| Crimean authorities to cut power, water to Ukrainian troops: Russian ex-lawmaker Monday, Mar 03, 2014 02:26 PM PST Pro-Russian authorities in Crimea will cut off water and electricity to Ukrainian soldiers in bases surrounded by Russian forces on Monday night, a Russian former lawmaker loyal to President Vladimir Putin said. Sergei Markov, who held meetings with pro-Russian authorities on the Ukrainian peninsula earlier on Monday, told reporters the soldiers would also be told they would not receive their next pay packet if they did not publicly renounce their loyalty to the new provisional government in Kiev, the capital. "If they stay here and remain loyal to Kiev and the Ukrainian government, it will become more uncomfortable for them," said Markov, who sits in a Kremlin-backed public policy chamber. Full Story | Top |
| As Russia tightens grip on Crimea, Ukraine navy comes under siege Monday, Mar 03, 2014 02:25 PM PST By Andrew Osborn SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine (Reuters) - The new head of Ukraine's navy has been in the job for less than a day, but, like his fleet and parts of his country, he is already under siege. On Monday morning, Serhiy Haiduk told his men that his predecessor, who defected to the pro-Russian authorities in Crimea the previous day, was wanted for treason. In the evening, he was holed up behind the crumbling white walls of his headquarters with some well-armed Russian soldiers and at least 200 angry pro-Russian activists at his gates. Meanwhile, two warships - all that what was left of his fleet of around a dozen vessels - found themselves blocked in their Black Sea berths in Sevastopol by a Russian minesweeper. Full Story | Top |
| Strong truck demand offsets sliding Canadian car sales Monday, Mar 03, 2014 02:22 PM PST  By Susan Taylor TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian auto sales chugged 2.4 percent higher in February as record-setting truck sales helped offset slumping demand for cars and severe winter weather, an independent auto industry analyst said on Monday. Auto sales in the country climbed to 105,693 vehicles, marking the third-best February since 2007 and signaling a "steady as she goes" sector recovery, said Dennis DesRosiers, of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants. Truck sales accelerated to 64,579 vehicles in February, from 58,867 last year, while car sales fell to 41,114 vehicles, from 44,359, he wrote. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israeli air strike kills two in Gaza: officials Monday, Mar 03, 2014 02:06 PM PST An Israeli air strike on Monday killed two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who Israel's military said had been preparing to launch a rocket across the border. Palestinian sources said a 24-year-old militant was killed in the strike and a second man later died of his wounds, but hospital officials did not say whether he was also a militant. The air strike was "carried out in order to eliminate an imminent attack targeting civilian communities of southern Israel", a military spokesman said. Gaza is run by the Islamist group Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, but which has been trying to prevent smaller militant groups from firing at Israel. Full Story | Top |
| Pistorius trial witness: 'bloodcurdling screams' then shots Monday, Mar 03, 2014 01:53 PM PST  By David Dolan PRETORIA (Reuters) - The first witness at Oscar Pistorius' murder trial told the court on Monday she heard "bloodcurdling screams" from a woman followed by shots, a dramatic opening to a case that could see one of global sport's most admired role models jailed for life. Taking the stand after the Paralympic and Olympic star pleaded not guilty to murdering his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine's Day last year, neighbor Michelle Burger testified that she was woken in the middle of the night by a woman shouting for help. "I was still sitting in the bed and I heard her screams," Burger, who lives 177 meters (194 yards) from Pistorius' home in an adjacent housing complex, told the Pretoria High Court. Thinking it was a violent break-in - a possibility in crime-ridden South Africa - Burger said her husband called the private security firm guarding their upmarket Pretoria housing estate before the pair heard more shouts. Full Story | Top |
| Vietnam veterans sue U.S. military for discharge upgrades over PTSD Monday, Mar 03, 2014 01:49 PM PST (Please note name V Prentice in 11th paragraph is correct) By Scott Malone BOSTON (Reuters) - Five Vietnam War veterans sued the U.S. military on Monday, saying they were denied some veterans services after receiving other-than-honorable discharges for actions that resulted from post-traumatic stress disorder. The men, including one who was the victim of a poison gas attack on his first day in Vietnam and another whose duties included sorting through body parts of soldiers killed in combat, called on the military to upgrade the discharges of veterans of the conflict who suffer from PTSD. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut, seeks class action status for what it estimates are tens of thousands of veterans who can now be shown to suffer from PTSD, a condition not recognized by the military in the 1960s and early 1970s at the time of the U.S. war in Southeast Asia. "The military gave these service members other than honorable discharges based on poor conduct such as unauthorized absence without leave, shirking, using drugs, or lashing out at comrades or superior officers," the lawsuit said. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. anti-poverty programs have failed, Republican Ryan says Monday, Mar 03, 2014 01:38 PM PST  By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government has barely made a dent in poverty in the past 50 years despite massive spending on programs to aid the poor, House of Representatives Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan said in a report on Monday. The Wisconsin Republican, a potential presidential contender in 2016, released the report a day before President Barack Obama sends Congress his own annual budget proposals, expected to include several provisions for helping the poor. By releasing the report, Ryan, a fiscal hawk who was his party's unsuccessful vice-presidential candidate in 2012, appeared to be presenting himself as being more committed to helping poor Americans hoist themselves into the middle class. The report, compiled by the Republican staff of Ryan's committee, said the U.S. poverty rate of 15 percent in 2012 was down only slightly from the 17.3 percent in 1965, the year after President Lyndon Johnson launched his "war on poverty" with new spending on aid programs. Full Story | Top |
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