| | |
| China PMI steadies, but doesn't dispel growth worries Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 08:39 PM PDT  By Kevin Yao BEIJING (Reuters) - Activity in China's factories increased marginally in April but export orders fell sharply, a government survey showed on Thursday, adding to questions about whether the world's second-largest economy is stabilizing after its first-quarter slowdown. The data came a day after Premier Li Keqiang pledged to step up support for the trade sector, adding to measures taken over the past month on concerns that the economy may be losing momentum more quickly than expected. The Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 50.4 in April from March's 50.3, the National Bureau of Statistics said, one of the first indicators of how the economy started the second quarter. Zhang Liqun, an economist at the Development Research Centre, which helps compile the PMI, said the PMI pointed to stabilizing economic growth ahead, but others disagreed. Full Story | Top |
| Toronto mayor Ford to 'get help' as new video surfaces: reports Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 07:23 PM PDT  Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who gained global notoriety after admitting to smoking crack cocaine, will take a break to deal with substance abuse issues, his lawyer told Canadian media, as one newspaper reported a new video showed him using what appears to be drugs. The Globe and Mail newspaper said on Wednesday that two of its reporters had seen a new video of Ford taking a drag from a long copper-colored pipe. The story, citing a self-professed drug dealer, said the video was secretly filmed early Saturday morning. Ford's office and lawyer could not immediately be reached to comment on the report. Full Story | Top |
| Mexico votes to allow civilian trials for soldiers Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 07:16 PM PDT  Mexican lawmakers on Wednesday approved legislation that would allow soldiers accused of committing crimes against non-military personnel to be tried in civilian courts. Lower house lawmakers voted 428 to zero to approve the bill, which was passed by the Senate last week and will now be sent to President Enrique Pena Nieto to be signed into law. Human rights groups have been lobbying for the changes for years and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in 2009 had asked Mexico to reform its laws to end military jurisdiction for cases involving crimes against civilians. Demand for reform grew after former President Felipe Calderon in late 2006 sent out the military to battle drug gangs, putting soldiers into closer contact with civilians. Full Story | Top |
| IMF approves $17 billion bailout for Ukraine amid big risks Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 06:57 PM PDT  By Anna Yukhananov WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund's board signed off on a $17 billion two-year aid program for Ukraine on Wednesday to help the former Soviet republic's economy recover after months of upheaval as it continues to face geopolitical uncertainty. The IMF aid will allow the immediate disbursement of $3.2 billion to Kiev and unlock further credits from other donors of about $15 billion, intended to help Ukraine stabilize its economy in the middle of its worst civil turmoil since independence in 1991. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde admitted the program faced risks, including from the government's ability to carry out the politically unpopular measures necessary to get its finances in order. "In particular, further escalation of tensions with Russia and unrest in the east of the country pose a substantial risk to the economic outlook," she said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine crisis affects start of EU talks with Cuba Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 06:55 PM PDT By Daniel Trotta HAVANA (Reuters) - The European Union told Cuba on Wednesday it disagreed with its support of Russia in the Ukraine crisis as the dispute cast a shadow over talks aimed at improving relations between the communist-run island and European countries. "It's a point of great concern to the EU," the EU's chief negotiator in the talks, Christian Leffler, told reporters in Havana. Negotiators for the 28-nation bloc and Cuba met on Tuesday and Wednesday in Havana for a first round of talks. Leffler said the differences over Ukraine did not affect the talks but were an example of what would be discussed in future discussions. Full Story | Top |
| Cobblestones to remember murdered Jews multiply in Berlin Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 06:41 PM PDT  By christopher alessi BERLIN, April 30 (Reuters) - Veronika Houboi watched as a man in a cowboy hat and clogs wielded a sledge hammer to smash up and remove a dozen small cobblestones from a Berlin pavement. The blocks, called "Stolpersteine" or "stumbling blocks," read: "Here lived Dr. Erich Blumenthal, born 1883, deported 29.11.1942, murdered in Auschwitz. Here lived Helene Blumenthal, born 1888, deported 29.11.1942, murdered in Auschwitz." In Berlin, the blocks have become part of the fabric of the city, their plates glinting amid the gray paving on residential streets and stopping both locals and tourists in their tracks. Houboi and her husband sponsored the Blumenthals' blocks, traveling across Germany to see them laid in the northeast Berlin neighborhood where Houboi, now 71, grew up in the 1940s. Full Story | Top |
| Denver sheriff halts federal immigration holds Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 06:26 PM PDT By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - Denver will no longer hold people in its jail at the request of federal immigration officials once they are eligible for release on the charges they were arrested for, the county's sheriff said on Wednesday. Sheriff Gary Wilson said he was prompted to issue the new order by recent court rulings that determined requests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials for the holds amounted to potential constitutional violations. The American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement that more than 30 jurisdictions across the United States have abandoned honoring ICE holds after three courts ruled this year that the requests are voluntary, and local authorities could be liable for constitutional violations. Additionally, the cities of Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco no longer hold low-level offenders in their lockups on ICE detainers, the ACLU said. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. resists pressure to give India worst offender rating in IP review Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 06:07 PM PDT  By Krista Hughes WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has resisted lobbying by U.S. businesses to take tougher trade action against India for its intellectual property policies, deciding against risking ties with a likely new government in New Delhi. The U.S. Trade Representative avoided labeling India with the worst offender tag in its annual scorecard on protecting U.S. patents, copyrights and other intellectual property (IP) rights. Instead, the United States kept India, which is in the midst of elections, on its Priority Watch List along with China and eight other countries. It would start a special review of India in the fall and "redouble" efforts to address concerns with the new government, the U.S. Trade Representative said. Full Story | Top |
| California lawmakers break for Twain-inspired jumping-frog contest Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 05:58 PM PDT By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO Calif. (Reuters) - California lawmakers set aside the business of running the most populous U.S. state on Wednesday to gather on the state capitol lawn to see who could coax a frog to hop the farthest in a contest inspired by Mark Twain's gold-rush tale, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." It was a warm, sunny day, so the amphibious athletes were kept in wet burlap bags in the shade for their own good until the contest got under way. First up was Republican state Senator Tom Berryhill, also the master of ceremonies, whose district includes Calaveras County, where the Twain story was set and where the county fair for years has included a frog jump of its own. Full Story | Top |
| Police to say Peaches Geldof died of heroin overdose - paper Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 05:54 PM PDT  (Reuters) - British police will confirm on Thursday that Peaches Geldof, the 25-year-old daughter of Band Aid founder and musician Bob Geldof, died of a heroin overdose, The Times reported, without citing sources. Geldof, a media and fashion personality in her own right and a mother of two boys, was found dead at her home in Wrotham, Kent, in southern England, on April 7. After an inconclusive post-mortem examination into Geldof's death, Kent Police said investigations would continue but that the result of a toxicology report could take several weeks. Peaches was only 11 when her mother, television presenter Paula Yates, died from a heroin overdose, aged 41. Full Story | Top |
| Brazil's Rousseff lowers taxes for workers as popularity drops Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 05:53 PM PDT  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Wednesday announced lower taxes for workers and a hike in stipends for the poor as her popularity ebbs five months before elections. In a speech broadcast on the eve of Labor Day, Rousseff said she signed a decree to lower the income tax burden on workers and a 10 percent increase in the value of the Bolsa Familia family stipend program for millions of Brazilians. "This will be an important indirect salary gain and more money in the pockets of workers," Rousseff said. "I also vow to continue with policies that increase the minimum wage, which has brought so many benefits for millions of workers." Concerns about high inflation and a scandal surrounding Brazil's oil company have hurt support for Rousseff, increasing the chances her rivals can force a runoff in the October 5 elections. Full Story | Top |
| Arizona governor signs legislation to discourage 'revenge porn' Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 05:52 PM PDT  By David Schwartz PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed a law on Wednesday making it a felony to post intimate images of others online without their consent, one of the harshest such measures in the nation. The new Arizona law drew rare, widespread support this month from a Republican-dominated state legislature that commonly has divided along party lines. The Arizona law is among more than two dozen similar measures proposed by lawmakers nationwide to deal with the high-profile issue, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Of that group, she said only Idaho makes it a felony for a first violation as Arizona does, while it becomes a felony on the second offense in Georgia and Utah. Full Story | Top |
| Texas lawmen sentenced for drug trafficking along Mexican border Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 05:50 PM PDT By Jim Forsyth SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - Nine former south Texas law officers were sentenced from between nine and 17 years in federal prison for using their badges and police vehicles to move and sell large shipments of drugs, a federal court official said on Wednesday. The nine, most of whom were from the so-called Panama Unit, made up of law officers from jurisdictions organized to investigate the flow of illegal drugs coming from Mexico, were sentenced this week on drug trafficking and other charges in U.S. District Court in the border city of McAllen. From 2010 through 2012, the nine lawmen used their positions to steal narcotics and cash from drug traffickers and provided them to other drug dealers who were paying them for protection, prosecutors said. According to court documents, four of the men loaded two marked police vehicles with 40 kilograms of cocaine and drove the drugs past a Border Patrol checkpoint on the main road between the Rio Grande Valley and San Antonio. Full Story | Top |
| NBA sets wheels turning for Clippers sale; Oprah in wings Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 05:49 PM PDT  By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Several luminaries from sports and show business, Oprah Winfrey among them, signaled interest on Wednesday in buying the Los Angeles Clippers as the NBA set a first meeting to weigh removing Donald Sterling as owner over racist remarks attributed to him. A day after Sterling was banned for life from the National Basketball Association, two of the league's 29 other team owners, including the governing board's chairman, said they expected to reach the three-fourths majority vote needed to expel Sterling fully, a move unprecedented in NBA history. The advisory finance committee of the board scheduled a meeting on Thursday to review the next steps for forcing a sale of the Clippers, as urged on Tuesday by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, a league spokeswoman said. Full Story | Top |
| Takeoffs resume at Southern California airports after glitch halts flights Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 05:48 PM PDT By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Takeoffs at several Southern California airports, including Los Angeles International Airport, were halted for up to two hours on Wednesday after computer problems led a federal air traffic control facility to issue a "ground stop," officials said. Over 30 departing flights at Los Angeles International Airport were temporarily held due to the order, and about 10 flights bound for the airport were diverted to other facilities and expected to depart for LAX within hours, airport spokeswoman Nancy Suey Castles said in an email. The ground stop at LAX began at about 2 p.m. local time (3.00 p.m. ET), said airport spokeswoman Amanda Parsons. By 4 p.m. local time (5.00 p.m. ET), LAX announced it had been lifted. Full Story | Top |
| Ohio governor commutes death sentence of convicted killer Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 05:33 PM PDT By Kim Palmer CLEVELAND (Reuters) - An Ohio man convicted of killing a Cleveland produce vendor will leave death row after more than three decades and less than a month before his scheduled execution, but spend the rest of his life in prison, Governor John Kasich said Wednesday. Arthur Tyler, 54, had been scheduled to be executed on May 28, but a state parole board panel recommended that Kasich grant him clemency in part because of questions over whether he had killed Sander Leach, 74, or was simply present when it happened. Prosecutors had also recommended clemency, saying they would not have sought the death penalty if similar evidence were presented today in the case of Tyler, who has been working as a barber at an Ohio state prison while awaiting execution. Defense attorneys said a codefendant shot Leach, who sold produce out of a van, and had identified Tyler as the gunman in exchange for prosecutors' taking the death penalty off the table in his case. Full Story | Top |
| Qualcomm spins off location awareness technology Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 05:32 PM PDT  Qualcomm Inc is spinning off its location awareness technology, which is compatible with Apple Inc's iBeacon version, to a group of investors including music, sports and arena conglomerate AEG. The chipmaker said on Wednesday it sold the business as a newly formed entity called Gimbal Inc. One investor is the i-Hatch LBS Fund, which includes strategic investors Zebra Technologies Corporation and AEG. Qualcomm will remain a minority investor. A Qualcomm spokesperson declined to disclose financial details. Full Story | Top |
| Head of leading anti-gun violence group to step down Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 05:17 PM PDT By Edith Honan NEW YORK (Reuters) - The executive director of the gun control group founded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, which has emerged as a leading counterweight to the National Rifle Association, said on Wednesday he would step down from the organization in June. Mark Glaze was named head of Mayors Against Illegal Guns in 2011, three weeks after a gunman opened fire in an Arizona shopping plaza, killing six people and critically wounding Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. It was the first in a string of mass shootings, including one at a Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school in 2012, that helped galvanize the gun control movement. Glaze helped turn the group into the largest and most prominent gun safety organization in America. Full Story | Top |
| Director of Defense Intelligence Agency announces retirement Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 05:10 PM PDT The director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency and his deputy both announced on Wednesday they planned to retire this year, a Pentagon spokesman said. Lieutenant General Mike Flynn and his deputy, David Shedd, announced the decision in a memorandum to the agency's work force, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said. The Washington Post said Flynn was leaving more than a year before he was scheduled to depart amid clashes over his leadership style. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said in a statement that Flynn earned a reputation throughout his career "as a dedicated visionary who pushed the intelligence enterprise to anticipate and prepare for the threat environment of the future." (Reporting by David Alexander and Mark Hosenball; Full Story | Top |
| Police charge schoolboy with Ann Maguire's murder Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 05:02 PM PDT  Ann Maguire, 61, was stabbed in front of about 30 pupils at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds, about 175 miles (280 km) north of London, shortly before noon on Monday, and was pronounced dead in hospital. Maguire, a mother of two who taught Spanish and religious education, had worked at the school for nearly 40 years and was due to retire this summer. "We have concluded that there is sufficient evidence to charge this youth with the murder of Ann Maguire and that it is in the public interest to do so," Peter Mann, head of the local Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said in a statement. "My thoughts are with the family of Anne Maguire, as well as the staff and pupils of Corpus Christi school, where she was stabbed to death," Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted. Full Story | Top |
| Botched Oklahoma execution comes as alternatives emerge from shadows Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 04:50 PM PDT  By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Firing squads, electric chairs and other methods of execution seen as cruel or antiquated could be getting a fresh look after Oklahoma botched a lethal injection, leaving the condemned inmate withering in apparent pain on its death chamber gurney. Lawmakers in several states this year have put forward legislation to revise alternative methods of capital punishment in the face of a shortage of drugs once used for executions as well as legal challenges to new lethal "cocktails." Oklahoma was among those states, and it had faced lawsuits to stop the execution of convicted rapist and murderer Clayton Lockett, who died on Tuesday night of an apparent heart attack minutes after a medical official on the scene called a halt to the botched process, saying something had gone wrong with the lethal injection. "As long as there are problems with lethal injection, and there have been and there will be, there will always be legislators determined to kill people with some other method," said Rick Halperin, director of the Embrey Human Rights Program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Full Story | Top |
| Senators criticize TSA on ability to keep travelers safe Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 04:43 PM PDT  By Elvina Nawaguna WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers on Wednesday questioned the Transportation Security Administration's ability to keep travelers safe and prevent terrorism attacks, citing recent incidents that included a teenager who scaled a fence at a California airport and stowed away in the wheel well of a Hawaii-bound jet. The TSA, which was formed after the September 11, 2001, attacks, annually screens about 640 million travelers and 1.5 billion bags on domestic and international flights leaving U.S. airports. Several incidents, including a shooting in November at Los Angeles International Airport that left one TSA official dead, have put the agency under close scrutiny from lawmakers, the public and the transportation industry. The recent stowaway case happened just weeks after the TSA inspected the San Jose International airport, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, and declared it to be in compliance with its security systems. Full Story | Top |
| California golf coach, accused of child abuse, charged in murder plot Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 04:39 PM PDT Andrew Nisbet, 32, is accused of writing letters detailing the plot and meeting with an undercover prosecutor who posed as a hit man while Nisbet was in the Santa Rita Jail in the San Francisco suburb of Dublin. The Alameda County District Attorney's Office charged Nisbet on Tuesday with three counts of solicitation of murder, district attorney spokeswoman Teresa Drenick said in an email. A once-celebrated golf instructor, Nisbet faces 75 additional felony charges, including oral copulation with a minor and lewd acts on a child. He was arrested in December after being accused of molesting boys between the ages of 12 and 17 from 2009 to 2012 who were in his junior golf program in Livermore, an affluent city of about 80,000 on the eastern tip of the San Francisco Bay Area. Full Story | Top |
| Paul Ryan tries to ease tensions with black lawmakers on poverty Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 04:25 PM PDT  By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Representative Paul Ryan, who angered black lawmakers in March with his comments about the causes of inner-city poverty, met with the Congressional Black Caucus on Wednesday and pledged to study its proposal to help the poor. "We didn't get a whole lot accomplished, but we do agree on a number of things," said Representative Marcia Fudge, an Ohio Democrat who chairs the caucus. We just disagree on how we address the problem." Ryan, the influential House of Representatives Budget Committee chairman, said the meeting improved the "tone" of the poverty debate, if not the best way to tackle it. "What is good out of this is we need to talk about better ideas on getting at the root cause of poverty, to try and break the cycle of poverty," said the Wisconsin Republican and 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine crisis could halt Europe's defense downturn: Airbus CEO Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 04:23 PM PDT  By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Concerns about Russia's actions in Ukraine could halt a decade-long decline in European military spending, Airbus Group Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders said Wednesday, as he also underscored concerns about growing Chinese military exports. Enders told industry executives at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank, that Europe's defense market remained fragmented, inefficient and unable to execute multinational programs. But he said he saw promise in recent efforts by European leaders to better coordinate, and said the crisis in Ukraine had already prompted Poland and other countries in eastern Europe to increase their military budgets. "There's no doubt in Warsaw that Europe and the trans-Atlantic alliance are facing the biggest political and security challenge in a generation or so (with) the reemergence of a rather aggressive Russia on its borders," Enders said. Full Story | Top |
| Morrisons cuts more prices to combat discounters Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 04:18 PM PDT  By James Davey LONDON (Reuters) - Wm Morrison Supermarkets, Britain's fourth largest grocer, unveiled a second round of price cuts designed to win back trade lost to the fast-growing discounters. Morrisons in common with its three biggest rivals - market leader Tesco, Wal-Mart's Asda and J Sainsbury - has been losing market share to German discounters Aldi and Lidl. "We see this not as a price war but more as a declaration of independence," Chief Executive Dalton Philips told reporters, noting the new cuts would account for "a big part" of the 300 million pounds set aside for reductions in 2014/15. Morrisons gave as examples of its latest reductions, 500 grams of beef mince down 20 percent to 199 pence, a six pack of own brand crisps down 34 percent to 85 pence and Jammie Dodgers biscuits down 55 percent to 49 pence. Full Story | Top |
| IMF approves $17 billion bailout for Ukraine amid risks Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 04:11 PM PDT By Anna Yukhananov WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund's board signed off on a $17 billion two-year aid program for Ukraine on Wednesday to help the former Soviet republic's economy recover after months of turmoil. The IMF aid will allow the immediate disbursement of $3.2 billion to Kiev, and unlock further credits from other donors of about $15 billion, intended to help Ukraine stabilize its economy amid its worst civil turmoil since independence in 1991. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde admitted the program faces geopolitical risks, along with uncertainty about the government's ability to carry out the politically unpopular measures necessary to get its finances in order. The IMF's board decided to meet every two months for the next couple reviews of Ukraine's program, rather than following the typical three-month schedule, in order to closely track the government's continued commitment to economic reforms, such as floating the currency and cutting fiscal deficits. Full Story | Top |
| North Sea drilling, deals to remain slow in coming year Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 04:10 PM PDT High operating costs and dwindling reserves will result in low drilling activity and few takeover deals in the North Sea over the coming year, consultancy Deloitte said in a quarterly report on Thursday. Well drilling in the North Sea fell year-on-year in the first quarter as poor weather and high costs hampered exploration and appraisal work, Deloitte said. British reserves in the North Sea are falling rapidly after around 40 years of production, making it one of the most mature oil and gas basins in the world and posing a tax revenue challenge to the government. "Operators are definitely showing more caution, indicating, again, that incentives from government may be the only way to make the economics more viable," said Graham Sadler, managing director of Deloitte's Petroleum Services Group. Full Story | Top |
| Facebook lets users limit data shared with apps Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 04:02 PM PDT  By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook introduced new features on Wednesday that let users limit how much personal information they share with third-party mobile apps, a move meant to quell privacy concerns as the social network seeks to become a top entry port to the Internet. In recent years, Facebook Inc has successfully encouraged a growing number of third-party app makers to allow users to log in with their Facebook identity rather than, say, by entering an email address or creating a dedicated account. The result has been an influx of valuable data for the world's No. 1 social network, but concerns have also mounted about third-party developers gaining access to private information. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said at Facebook's developer conference in San Francisco on Wednesday that a new version of Facebook's log-in tool, called "log in anonymously," would let users control what information they allow third-party apps to see. Full Story | Top |
| London cleric wanted jihadists to train in Oregon, U.S. jury told Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 03:59 PM PDT  By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - James Ujaama thought he had found the perfect place to set up a jihadist training camp: a quiet ranch situated in a rural section of Oregon. "The land that we spoke of is about 160 acres and looks just like Afghanistan," Ujaama wrote in a fax in 1999 to his mentor, imam Abu Hamza al-Masri of the Finsbury Park mosque in London. He added that Oregon was a "pro-militia and fire-arms state" where it would be easy to stockpile weapons for combat training. Ujaama testified on Wednesday at Abu Hamza's trial in New York that a few weeks after that fax, two men arrived from the United Kingdom, saying they were sent by Abu Hamza to instruct recruits at the camp. Full Story | Top |
| Montana top court overturns teacher's one-month rape sentence Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 03:57 PM PDT  The Montana Supreme Court overturned on Wednesday a one-month prison sentence given to a former teacher for the rape of a 14-year-old student, a penalty that sparked outrage and drew criticism from women's groups as too lenient. Montana district Judge G. Todd Baugh drew fierce public criticism last year when he sentenced the teacher, Stacey Rambold, to just a month in prison for the 2007 sexual assault of his student, Cherice Moralez, who later killed herself. Baugh fueled the public outrage by saying during Rambold's sentencing hearing that the teenager seemed older than her years and was "probably as much in control of the situation" as the Billings high school teacher. "The district court lacked authority to suspend all but 31 days of Rambold's sentence, and its judgment is therefore reversed," Justice Michael Wheat said in the opinion, joined by five other justices. Full Story | Top |
| Some California airports, including LAX, suspend takeoffs Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 03:54 PM PDT The Federal Aviation Administration issued a "ground stop" on Wednesday, suspending takeoffs at Los Angeles International Airport and other Southern California airports in a move that officials said they believed was a result of computer problems. The ground stop at the Los Angeles International Airport, which began at around 2 p.m. local time (3.00 p.m. ET), does not affect incoming flights, said airport spokeswoman Amanda Parsons. The action was also in effect at other Southern California airports. John Wayne Airport in Orange County and Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, according to statements on each of those facility's Twitter page. Full Story | Top |
| Northern Ireland police arrest Gerry Adams over 1972 murder Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 03:53 PM PDT  By Maurice Neill and Conor Humphries BELFAST/DUBLIN (Reuters) - Northern Ireland police arrested Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams on Wednesday as part of an investigation into one of the province's most controversial murders, a move likely to cause a political earthquake in Belfast and Dublin. The man reviled in Britain as the spokesman for the Irish Republican Army in the 1980s, Adams reinvented himself as a Northern Ireland peacemaker and then as a populist opposition politician in the Irish parliament. His Sinn Fein party on Wednesday said he was being questioned by police investigating the 1972 abduction and murder of mother of 10 Jean McConville. Adams, who has always denied membership of the IRA said he was "innocent of any part" in the killing. Full Story | Top |
| Obama, Republicans, trade fire over minimum wage, Benghazi Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 03:52 PM PDT  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and his Republican opponents traded accusations over the minimum wage and a deadly attack at a U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya, on Wednesday in their drive to get voters focused on the November congressional elections. With five months before voters go to the polls, little actual governing is getting done and much of Washington is all about political posturing ahead of elections that may well determine Obama's ability to govern in his last two years in office. Obama, whose tepid public approval rating threatens to sag Democratic attempts to maintain control of the Senate in November, appeared with low-wage workers in the White House East Room to press his case for reducing income inequality. He zeroed in on what Democrats consider a major issue for them heading into the campaign season - raising the minimum wage paid to millions of Americans. Full Story | Top |
| Nevada Congressman seeks probe of armed militia operations at Bundy ranch Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 03:48 PM PDT  Rancher Cliven Bundy of Bunkerville became a symbol for conservative Republicans in April, particularly among the Tea Party movement, for his longstanding defiance of court orders to remove his cattle from federal land. The dispute led to a showdown this month in which the federal Bureau of Land Management sent in helicopters and wranglers on horseback to seize his cattle, before backing down for safety reasons as militias flocked to support the rancher. Bundy's supporters hailed the outcome as a victory over government tyranny. Detractors called Bundy an outlaw, and conservatives later cooled toward the rancher after he made a series of racist remarks and suggested that African Americans may have fared better under slavery. Full Story | Top |
| Senators blast watchdogs over widespread gold investment fraud Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 03:42 PM PDT By Douwe Miedema and Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers scolded federal regulators for not doing enough to prevent scam artists from luring retirees into risky investments in precious metals, fraud from which has cost victims an estimated $300 million since 2001. A convicted felon, a victim and two law enforcement officials testified at a hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging on Wednesday, to discuss a report that found an estimated 10,000 Americans - mostly elderly - had fallen prey to such schemes. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK lawmakers plan to probe Pfizer pursuit of AstraZeneca Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 03:34 PM PDT  By Kylie MacLellan and Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - British lawmakers intend to investigate U.S. drugmaker Pfizer's planned $100 billion takeover of British rival AstraZeneca in a bid to ensure scientific research and jobs are protected. "We will see how events pan out over the next few days, but clearly given the scale of the proposed merger it is important that we consider the impact not just on shareholders but also on employees and the wider interests of the UK." AstraZeneca, Britain's second-biggest drugmaker behind GlaxoSmithKline, is an important part of the life sciences sector and employs nearly 7,000 staff in the country. The committee's chairman Andrew Bailey said it would be looking to hold an inquiry "pretty quickly", and those called to give evidence were likely to include ministers such as Business Secretary Vince Cable and representatives from the Treasury. "In AstraZeneca we have a company that amounts to 2.3 percent of our total exports, is a world leader in research in pharmaceuticals and is very strategically positioned in this country." Committee member Katy Clark said Pfizer's management would also probably be among those called to any inquiry. Full Story | Top |
| IMF's Lagarde says Ukraine program faces risks Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 03:34 PM PDT Ukraine's $17 billion bailout program from the International Monetary Fund faces geopolitical and implementation risks, the IMF chief said on Wednesday. Ukraine, which has been in the midst of months of turmoil, on Wednesday received the IMF bailout to help stabilize its economy, which should unlock a further $15 billion in international aid. "On the implementation front, we are taking all the precautions we can in order to mitigate those risks," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde told reporters. Full Story | Top |
| MPs plan to probe Pfizer pursuit of AstraZeneca Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 03:33 PM PDT  By Kylie MacLellan and Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - MPs intend to investigate U.S. drugmaker Pfizer's planned $100 billion (59.2 billion pounds) takeover of British rival AstraZeneca in a bid to ensure scientific research and jobs are protected. "We will see how events pan out over the next few days, but clearly given the scale of the proposed merger it is important that we consider the impact not just on shareholders but also on employees and the wider interests of the UK." AstraZeneca, Britain's second-biggest drugmaker behind GlaxoSmithKline, is an important part of the life sciences sector and employs nearly 7,000 staff in the country. The committee's chairman Andrew Bailey said it would be looking to hold an inquiry "pretty quickly", and those called to give evidence were likely to include ministers such as Business Secretary Vince Cable and representatives from the Treasury. "In AstraZeneca we have a company that amounts to 2.3 percent of our total exports, is a world leader in research in pharmaceuticals and is very strategically positioned in this country." Committee member Katy Clark said Pfizer's management would also probably be among those called to any inquiry. Full Story | Top |
| 9/11 museum unveils online registry for survivors, rescue workers Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 03:32 PM PDT  By Victoria Cavaliere NEW YORK (Reuters) - A museum dedicated to the nearly 3,000 people who died in the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington on Wednesday unveiled online registries where survivors, rescue workers and witnesses can share their memories. Three registries launched with a limited number of entries in the hopes that users will continue to create profiles and share firsthand accounts of the attacks, according to officials of the National September 11 Memorial Museum, which is located in New York on the site of the fallen World Trade Center Twin Towers. The three online registries are divided into portals for rescue and recovery workers, witnesses and survivors, and for memorial locations around the world. Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment