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| U.S. Navy testing more sophisticated pilotless helicopters Friday, Apr 04, 2014 09:05 PM PDT The helicopter, filmed during testing by the Naval Research Laboratory, was piloted by a 100-pound (45-kg) sensor and software package that officials said can turn any rotary-winged aircraft into a virtually autonomous drone able to fly with minimal input from the Marine Corps troops it was designed to serve. Rear Admiral Matthew Klunder, chief of Naval Research, said the sensor and software pack is "truly leap-ahead technology" that will let a Marine with no flight experience issue landing instructions to a cargo helicopter via tablet computer after just a few minutes of training. Klunder, who will preview the technology for industry and military leaders at a conference in Washington on Tuesday, said the aim of the project was to give troops a simple tool for battlefield resupply, reducing the casualties inherent in using ground convoys to deliver food, water and weapons. An Army study of data from 2003 to 2007 showed that one person was killed or wounded for every 24 fuel resupply convoys in Afghanistan and one was killed or wounded for every 29 water resupply convoys. Full Story | Top |
| Japan orders military to strike any new North Korea missile launches Friday, Apr 04, 2014 08:54 PM PDT  Japan has ordered a destroyer in the Sea of Japan to strike any ballistic missiles that may be launched by North Korea in the coming weeks after Pyongyang fired a Rodong medium-range missile over the sea, a government source said on Saturday. Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera issued the order on Thursday, but did not make it public in order to avoid putting a chill on renewed talks between Tokyo and Pyongyang, the first in more than a year, local media reported earlier. Onodera, the source said, did not deploy Patriot missile batteries that would be the last line of defense against incoming warheads. The firing of the Rodong coincided with a meeting in The Hague between U.S. President Barack Obama and the leaders of South Korea and Japan and followed a series of short-range rocket launches. Full Story | Top |
| Biggest search yet for Malaysian missing jet Friday, Apr 04, 2014 08:40 PM PDT  By Swati Pandey PERTH (Reuters) - Four weeks after the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines jetliner, searchers on Saturday launched the most intensive hunt yet in the southern Indian Ocean, trying to find the plane's black box recorders before their batteries run out. Up to 10 military planes, three civilian jets and 11 ships will scour a 217,000-sq-km (88,000-sq-mile) patch of desolate ocean some 1,700 km (1,060 miles) northwest of Perth near where investigators believe the plane went down on March 8 with the loss of all 239 people on board. "If we haven't found anything in six weeks we will continue because there are a lot of things in the aircraft that will float," Retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, the head of the Australian agency coordinating the operation, told reporters. "Eventually I think something will be found that will help us narrow the search area." Authorities have not ruled out mechanical problems as a cause but say the evidence, including the loss of communications, suggests Flight MH370 was deliberately diverted thousands of kilometers from its scheduled route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Full Story | Top |
| Polls open in landmark Afghanistan election Friday, Apr 04, 2014 08:17 PM PDT Voting began on Saturday in Afghanistan's presidential election, which will mark the first democratic transfer of power since the country was tipped into chaos by the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. Taliban insurgents launched a spate of attacks in the run-up to the vote, which they brand as a U.S.-backed sham, but there was no word of violence as voting got under way at 7 a.m. (0230 GMT) local time. After 12 years in power, the incumbent Hamid Karzai is ineligible to run again due to the constitution, and there are eight candidates contesting the election. The favorites are former foreign ministers Abdullah Abdullah and Zalmay Rassoul, and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani. Full Story | Top |
| Landmark Afghan election begins under shadow of violence Friday, Apr 04, 2014 08:17 PM PDT  By Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - Voting began on Saturday in Afghanistan's presidential election, which will mark the first democratic transfer of power since the country was tipped into chaos by the fall of the hardline Islamist Taliban regime in 2001. Taliban insurgents launched a spate of attacks that killed dozens in the run-up to the vote, which they brand as a U.S.-backed sham, but there was no word of violence as voting got under way. There are eight candidates contesting, with former foreign ministers Abdullah Abdullah and Almay Rassoul, and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani the favorites. Hamid Karzai, the incumbent, is not allowed to run for the presidency again by the constitution. Full Story | Top |
| Hagel backs Japan plan to bolster self-defense Friday, Apr 04, 2014 08:10 PM PDT  U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he welcomed the possibility of Japan giving its military a greater role by allowing it to come to the aid of allies under attack. The comment in an interview with Japan's main financial newspaper, the Nikkei, came ahead of a trip to Japan this weekend and represents the clearest U.S. support yet for Tokyo's effort to bolster its military as it faces off against a more assertive China. "We welcome Japan's efforts to play a more proactive role in the alliance, including by re-examining the interpretation of its constitution relating to the right of collective self-defense," Hagel said in a written response to the Nikkei. Hagel visits China, suspicious of Japan's military intentions and where memories of Japan's past militarism run deep, after Tokyo. Full Story | Top |
| Amazon launches Amazon Dash for delivery of groceries, household items Friday, Apr 04, 2014 07:16 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc launched a new product named Amazon Dash on Friday that allows the user to add groceries and household goods to their shopping lists using the company's AmazonFresh service. A black-and-white hand-held wand-shaped remote-control features a microphone, speaker as well as a bar-code reader and links directly to the user's AmazonFresh account. However, the device is available only for users of the AmazonFresh which currently operates exclusively in Southern California, San Francisco and Seattle. However, signing up for Amazon Dash is by invitation only while the AmazonFresh service is currently available only Southern California, San Francisco and Seattle. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine in emergency talks with EU neighbors on gas imports Friday, Apr 04, 2014 07:14 PM PDT By Pavel Polityuk and Henning Gloystein KIEV/LONDON (Reuters) - Ukraine is in emergency talks with European Union neighbors on the possibility of importing natural gas from the West, following a leap in the price it pays for Russian supplies, Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said on Friday. The urgency of securing affordable supplies has grown since Moscow - which annexed Crimea from Ukraine last month - raised its discounted gas tariff for Kiev twice this week, almost doubling it in three days. Yatseniuk told reporters that one possibility was "reverse flows", in which EU countries would send gas back down pipelines normally used in the transit of Russian supplies through Ukraine to the West. Full Story | Top |
| HP executives held in Pakistan tax probe: WSJ Friday, Apr 04, 2014 06:55 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Two executives of the Pakistani arm of computer giant Hewlett-Packard Co were arrested by local officials in Karachi on Friday on suspicion of corporate tax evasion, the Wall Street Journal reported. The arrested executives were identified as Shahid Ali Khan, HP Pakistan's country general manager for printing and personal systems and country controller, Salim Rawjani. Hewlett-Packard had no comment when contacted about the Journal report. The arrests followed a raid at a large Pakistani computer seller's offices in Karachi that revealed records allegedly showing equipment as not being properly taxed, the Journal reported. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. will not stand in way of Scottish independence: Salmond Friday, Apr 04, 2014 06:26 PM PDT  By Alistair Bell NEW YORK (Reuters) - The leader of Scotland's separatist movement predicted on Friday that the United States would not try to stand in the way of the breakup of Britain, Washington's staunchest ally for decades, if Scots vote for independence at a referendum this year. Instead, the Obama administration could use the reasonably orderly debate in Britain about Scotland's future as an example to other countries facing constitutional crises, said Alex Salmond, the separatist leader who heads the Scottish National Party and who is Scotland's first minister. Full Story | Top |
| Mozilla CEO's exit tests Silicon Valley's tolerance Friday, Apr 04, 2014 06:25 PM PDT  By Gerry Shih SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Tech workers in Silicon Valley debated on Friday whether Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich got the comeuppance he deserved or was himself a victim of intolerance when he resigned under pressure this week amid outrage over his opposition to same-sex marriage. Some, especially a dating website that had urged its users to boycott Mozilla's popular Firefox web browser, cheered Eich's resignation after less than two weeks as CEO of the nonprofit software company. Mozilla co-founder Eich, who invented the programming language Javascript, donated $1,000 in 2008 to support Proposition 8, which sought to ban same-sex marriage in California. His views about gay marriage had been known within Mozilla for nearly two years, but controversy erupted after he was appointed CEO in late March. Full Story | Top |
| Britons guilty of U.S. terror charges denied access to secret files Friday, Apr 04, 2014 05:49 PM PDT  By Richard Weizel MILFORD, Connecticut (Reuters) - Two British men who pleaded guilty to raising money for al Qaeda and the Taliban were denied their bid on Friday to gain access to secret documents about a witness whose testimony could have a major impact on how long they spend in prison. The pair, 39-year-old Babar Ahmad and 34-year-old Syed Talha Ahsan, have argued in papers filed in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Connecticut, that they have a right to more information on the witness, British citizen Saajid Badat. According to U.S. prosecutors, Badat was recruited into al Qaeda as a result of Ahmad's work and went on to play a role in the attempt by "shoe bomber" Richard Reid, another Briton, to blow up a jetliner over the Atlantic Ocean just three months after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Defence attorneys for Ahmad and Ahsan argued before U.S. District Judge Janet Hall that the government should provide transcripts of 55 taped interviews with Badat conducted in 2008 by British authorities and photos of suspected militants. Full Story | Top |
| Kerry warns U.S. is evaluating role in Middle East peace talks Friday, Apr 04, 2014 05:38 PM PDT  By Lesley Wroughton RABAT (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that Washington was evaluating whether it was worth continuing its role in Middle East peace talks, signaling his patience with the Israelis and Palestinians was running out. There was a limit to U.S. efforts if the parties themselves were unwilling to move forward, Kerry said during a visit to Morocco after a week of setbacks. It is reality check time, and we intend to evaluate precisely what the next steps will be," Kerry said, adding he would return to Washington on Friday to consult with the Obama administration. White House spokesman Josh Earnest acknowledged that President Barack Obama shared Kerry's frustration over "unhelpful" actions by both sides and the two men would discuss the path forward in the eight-month-old talks after the secretary of state's return to Washington. Full Story | Top |
| Lawsuit over American drone strikes dismissed by U.S. judge Friday, Apr 04, 2014 05:31 PM PDT By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit filed against the U.S. government by the families of three American citizens killed by U.S. drones in Yemen, saying senior officials cannot be held personally responsible for money damages for the act of conducting war. The families of the three - including Anwar al-Awlaki, a New Mexico-born militant Muslim cleric who had joined al Qaeda's Yemen affiliate, and his teenage son - sued over their 2011 deaths in U.S. drone strikes, arguing that the killings were illegal. Judge Rosemary Collyer of the U.S. District Court in Washington threw out the case, which had named as defendants former defense secretary and CIA chief Leon Panetta, former senior military commander and CIA chief David Petraeus and two other top military commanders. "The question presented is whether federal officials can be held personally liable for their roles in drone strikes abroad that target and kill U.S. citizens," Collyer said in her opinion. Full Story | Top |
| Ergen seeks permission to sue Falcon in LightSquared case Friday, Apr 04, 2014 05:24 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Dish Network Corp Chairman Charles Ergen, the largest creditor of bankrupt wireless company LightSquared, is seeking permission to sue Phil Falcone, the investor whose Harbinger Capital fund controls LightSquared. In a court filing on Friday, Ergen asked the judge overseeing LightSquared's Chapter 11 bankruptcy case for permission to bring a lawsuit alleging Falcone mismanaged the company, focusing on preserving his own investment at the expense of other stakeholders. LightSquared, majority-owned by Harbinger, went bankrupt in 2012, when the Federal Communications Commission revoked its license to operate spectrum out of concern it could interfere with GPS systems. Ergen then acquired about $1 billion of the company's senior loan debt, giving him a controlling stake in LightSquared's capital structure. Full Story | Top |
| Idaho school system removes book from curriculum after parental outrage Friday, Apr 04, 2014 05:15 PM PDT By Laura Zuckerman SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - The largest school district in Idaho has banned from its curriculum an award-winning book about the struggles of a Native American teenager after complaints by parents that the novel was rife with profanity, racial epithets and anti-Christian rhetoric. The school board in Meridian, Idaho, voted 2-1 this week to keep the book, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," off a supplemental reading list for 10th graders, meaning it will not be part of the curriculum at the high school, said school board clerk Trish Duncan. The 2007 Sherman Alexie novel, which won the 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, is still available in the school's library, she said. Full Story | Top |
| General Dynamics says U.S. Army denied armored vehicle protest Friday, Apr 04, 2014 05:13 PM PDT By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - General Dynamics Corp said on Friday that the U.S. Army denied its protest about the terms of multibillion-dollar competition for a new armored vehicle, which General Dynamics said were skewed to favor its rival, BAE Systems Plc. General Dynamics spokesman Pete Keating said the company would study the Army's ruling and decide on the next steps to take. The company has 10 days to file a protest with the Government Accountability Office, an arm of Congress that rules on federal contract disputes. The Army's competition for a new Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) to replace nearly 2,900 Vietnam-era M113 infantry carriers is one of few new weapons development programs available for U.S. ground vehicle makers. Full Story | Top |
| Uganda arrests U.S.-funded health project staffer over gay law Friday, Apr 04, 2014 05:10 PM PDT By Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA (Reuters) - A U.S.-funded health project in Uganda has suspended operations after police arrested a staff member on suspicion of promoting homosexuality, highlighting the mounting legal risks confronting the gay community in the east African state. Uganda enacted legislation in February that strengthened punishments for anyone caught having gay sex, imposing jail terms of up to life for "aggravated homosexuality" -- including sex with a minor or while HIV-positive. The United States, one of Uganda's major bilateral sources of aid, and other Western donors have halted or re-directed some $118 million in aid since President Yoweri Museveni signed the law, which also criminalized lesbianism for the first time. In a notice on its website on Friday, Makerere University's Walter Reed Project, a collaboration between Uganda's biggest public institute of higher learning and the U.S. Military HIV Research Program, said it would temporarily halt its work until it established the legal basis for the arrest. Full Story | Top |
| Daughter of Iraqi-American man cross-examined at California murder trial Friday, Apr 04, 2014 04:41 PM PDT By Marty Graham SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - An Iraqi-American man charged with murdering his wife in their California home in what was first investigated as a hate crime heard testimony from his daughter on Friday that showed deep conflict within the family. Kassim Alhimidi, 49, who prosecutors accuse of beating his wife to death, possibly with a tire iron, glared at his daughter during cross-examination on the fourth day of the trial and then began weeping. Shaima Alawadi, a 32-year-old mother of five, died of her injuries several days after her daughter found her bloodied body on the kitchen floor of their home in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon, California, in March 2012. The testimony of his 19-year-old daughter Fatima Alhimidi painted a picture of a family in turmoil in the months before the killing, as arguments erupted over whether she would wed a cousin in Iraq in an arranged marriage and over her relationship with a boyfriend. Full Story | Top |
| Boeing, GE say get U.S. license to sell spare parts to Iran Friday, Apr 04, 2014 04:26 PM PDT  By Andrea Shalal and Tim Hepher WASHINGTON/PARIS (Reuters) - Boeing Co , the world's biggest airplane maker, and engine maker General Electric Co said on Friday they had received licenses from the U.S. Treasury Department to export certain spare parts for commercial aircraft to Iran under a temporary sanctions relief deal that began in January. GE spokesman Rick Kennedy said the Treasury had approved the company's application to service 18 engines sold to Iran in the late 1970s. He said GE officials would meet with officials from Iran flag carrier Iranair and MTU in Istanbul next week to discuss Iran's needs. A Boeing spokesman said his company received the license this week and would now contact officials in Iran to determine which parts were needed. Full Story | Top |
| North Korea tells world 'wait and see' on new nuclear test Friday, Apr 04, 2014 04:22 PM PDT  By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - North Korea said on Friday that the world would have to "wait and see" when asked for details of "a new form" of nuclear test it threatened to carry out after the United Nations Security Council condemned Pyongyang's recent ballistic missile launch. North Korea fired two medium-range Rodong ballistic missiles into the sea on March 26. Its first firing in four years of mid-range missiles that can hit Japan followed a series of short-range rocket launches over the past two months. North Korea (DPRK) reacted on Sunday with a threat to conduct what it called "a new form of nuclear test. Full Story | Top |
| Mob attacks Ebola treatment centre in Guinea, suspected cases reach Mali Friday, Apr 04, 2014 04:21 PM PDT By Adama Diarra and Misha Hussain BAMAKO/CONAKRY (Reuters) - An angry crowd attacked an Ebola treatment center in Guinea on Friday, accusing its staff of bringing the deadly disease to the town, Medecins Sans Frontieres said, as Mali identified its first suspected cases. More than 90 people have already died in Guinea and Liberia in what medical charity MSF, or Doctors without Borders, has warned could turn into an unprecedented epidemic in an impoverished region with poor health services. The outbreak in Guinea is the first time the disease, epidemics of which occur regularly in Central Africa, has appeared in the country. News of the outbreak has sent shockwaves through communities with little knowledge of the disease or how it is transmitted, and the suspected cases in Mali have added to fears that it is spreading in West Africa. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. finalizing plan to boost support for Syrian rebels: sources Friday, Apr 04, 2014 04:16 PM PDT By Mark Hosenball and Missy Ryan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government is finalizing a plan to increase training and small-arms shipments for Syrian rebels, two U.S. security sources said on Friday, as Syrian government troops gain momentum following the collapse of U.S.-backed peace talks. The United States would increase assistance and send the shipments to moderate rebel factions mostly based in Jordan, along Syria's southern border, the officials familiar with the plan told Reuters. But the United States fears supplies of advanced weapons to pro-Western rebels could be diverted to Islamic militant groups, who could use them to attack allied, Israeli or civilian aircraft, the U.S. officials said, explaining why the surface-to-air missiles won't be included in the assistance. President Barack Obama has resisted becoming entangled in Syria's complex, two-year civil war, but has faced criticism for failing to take a tougher stand given the immensity of the humanitarian crisis. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. names Colombian pop singer indigenous ambassador Friday, Apr 04, 2014 04:14 PM PDT  The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on Friday named Colombian pop singer Carlos Vives its first "inclusion ambassador" in an effort to promote rights and economic opportunity for Colombia's displaced indigenous communities. The alliance is part of efforts by the U.S. government's anti-poverty agency to help Colombia transition away from its civil conflict which has uprooted about 5 million people, according to Colombian government figures. Grammy award-winning Vives and USAID have a nationwide tour slated for the summer. The singer will mentor indigenous music groups and appear in a series of events aimed at highlighting indigenous culture, USAID said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. federal judge sentences Florida pill mill doctors Friday, Apr 04, 2014 04:05 PM PDT By Zachary Fagenson MIAMI (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday sentenced a South Florida doctor to more than six years in prison on a money-laundering conviction related to prescriptions she wrote for thousands of painkillers to addicts and drug dealers. A jury in July 2013 acquitted Dr. Cynthia Cadet, 43, a retired U.S. Air Force major, and Joseph Castronuovo, 74, on charges that their roles in a chain of South Florida pain clinics led to the deaths of nine patients. But the jury convicted the two of money laundering for their role in the "pill mill" conspiracy. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra sentenced Cadet to 78 months in prison, while Castronuovo received 18 months. Full Story | Top |
| California's senator Yee indicted on gun, corruption charges Friday, Apr 04, 2014 04:04 PM PDT  By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - A prominent Democratic California state senator and gun-control advocate was indicted by a San Francisco grand jury on charges of corruption and conspiracy to traffic in firearms, according to court documents released on Friday. The indictment adds to the troubles facing state Senator Leland Yee, who was arrested last week and criminally charged along with two dozen others in the same case. Yee, 65, is the third California state senator to face criminal charges this year in separate cases that have cost Democrats a cherished two-thirds legislative majority in an election year and prompted them to cancel a major fundraiser planned for this weekend. Senate Democratic leader Darrell Steinberg, who has said that the charges against Yee "sickened" him, on Friday renewed calls for the senator to resign. Full Story | Top |
| GE says U.S. approved overhaul of 18 aircraft engines for Iran Friday, Apr 04, 2014 04:00 PM PDT  General Electric Co on Friday said it had received permission from the U.S. government to overhaul 18 engines sold to Iran in the late 1970s under a temporary sanctions relief deal reached in January. GE spokesman Rick Kennedy said the U.S. Treasury Department had approved the company's application to service the 18 engines at facilities owned by GE or Germany's MTU Aero Engines , which is licensed to do the work. He said GE officials would meet with officials from Iran flag carrier Iranair and MTU in Istanbul next week to discuss Iran's needs. Reuters reported in February that both Boeing and General Electric Co had applied for permission to export spare parts for aircraft to Iran during a six-month window agreed by Iran and six world powers in November. Full Story | Top |
| Bachelet's quick Chile quake response helps her reform campaign Friday, Apr 04, 2014 03:34 PM PDT  By Alexandra Ulmer SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chilean President Michelle Bachelet's efficient response to this week's earthquake is a far cry from her handling of a massive quake that hit four years ago, a turnaround that analysts and citizens say has put her and her reform drive in a stronger political position. Emergency services and security forces moved quickly to limit the damage of an 8.2-magnitude quake that hit northern Chile on Tuesday. It was in stark contrast to the center-leftist Bachelet's poor management of the 8.8-magnitude quake that slammed central-south Chile in 2010 and triggered a devastating tsunami. Bachelet, who was imprisoned and tortured during Chile's 1973-1990 military dictatorship, then dithered about sending in the army to restore order. Full Story | Top |
| Geologist raised idea of removing homes from U.S. landslide area Friday, Apr 04, 2014 03:33 PM PDT  By Jonathan Kaminsky DARRINGTON, Washington (Reuters) - A contractor who studied the risks to a rural neighborhood in Washington state wiped out by a mudslide last month made recommendations more than a decade ago that included possible relocation of homes elsewhere. News of the recommendations, made in a report for a Native American tribe with traditional fishing rights in the area, emerged as searchers scoured a pile of mud and debris for victims of the March 22 slide that left dozens dead or missing. About 30 people have been confirmed dead from the slide, which roared over the north fork of the Stillaguamish River and state Highway 530, engulfing about three dozen homes on the outskirts of the rural town of Oso in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Jim Miller, a geological engineer with GeoEngineers, said his company prepared a 2001 report for the Stillaguamish tribe that warned of a "significant risk to human lives and private property" at the slide site. Full Story | Top |
| George Washington's spy ring comes alive in AMC drama 'Turn' Friday, Apr 04, 2014 03:28 PM PDT By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The world of espionage has been brought to life by characters such as James Bond, Jason Bourne and Jack Bauer on film and television, but a new AMC drama is going back to spy origins with America's own founding father, George Washington. "Turn," which premieres on Sunday, tells the story of four childhood friends who find themselves pulled together as spies during the height of the American Revolutionary War in 1778 in New York's Long Island, under the orders of General Washington. The series is based on Alexander Rose's 2007 book "Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring." The Culper Ring was formed by Major Benjamin Tallmadge, who chose an unsuspecting group of his friends, civilians who opposed the British occupation of New York - farmer Abe Woodhull, pub landlady Anna Strong and fisherman Caleb Brewster. Full Story | Top |
| Minnesota patient has West African virus, search on for others exposed Friday, Apr 04, 2014 03:26 PM PDT A traveler who flew back to the United States from West Africa was diagnosed with the rare and sometimes deadly Lassa fever, said health authorities who on Friday were trying to identify others on the plane who may have been exposed. In the first Lassa case in the United States in four years, an unnamed patient was admitted to a Minnesota hospital on Monday suffering from fever and confusion, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement. Blood samples sent to CDC tested positive for Lassa fever on Thursday. The patient was recovering and in stable condition on Friday, the CDC said. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. judge refrains from making GM 'park' recalled cars Friday, Apr 04, 2014 03:14 PM PDT  District Court Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos at a hearing in Corpus Christi, Texas, said she would need more time to study briefs submitted by attorneys for two owners of a recalled GM car and receive documents from the carmaker's lawyers. Since February, GM has recalled 2.6 million cars equipped with the switch. So far this year, GM has recalled a total of nearly 7 million vehicles, or about the same number recalled in the previous four years combined. GM has said it would take a charge of $750 million in the first quarter, mostly for the recalls announced in that period, including ones linked to the defective ignition switch. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. knocks plans for European communication network Friday, Apr 04, 2014 03:13 PM PDT  The United States on Friday criticized proposals to build a European communication network to avoid emails and other data passing through the United States, warning that such rules could breach international trade laws. In its annual review of telecommunications trade barriers, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative said impediments to cross-border data flows were a serious and growing concern. It was closely watching new laws in Turkey that led to the blocking of websites and restrictions on personal data, as well as calls in Europe for a local communications network following revelations last year about U.S. digital eavesdropping and surveillance. "Recent proposals from countries within the European Union to create a Europe-only electronic network (dubbed a 'Schengen cloud' by advocates) or to create national-only electronic networks could potentially lead to effective exclusion or discrimination against foreign service suppliers that are directly offering network services, or dependent on them," the USTR said in the report. Full Story | Top |
| Lawmaker calls Congress 'underpaid', objects to salary freeze Friday, Apr 04, 2014 03:12 PM PDT  U.S. lawmakers have quietly gone along with an annual salary freeze since 2010, but a Virginia Democrat has had enough and said members of Congress are underpaid. Representative Jim Moran, who is not seeking re-election in November, has objected to fiscal 2015 spending legislation that calls for another pay freeze for Congress, keeping lawmakers' salaries at $174,000 a year. "I think the American people should know that the members of Congress are underpaid," Moran told CQ Roll Call, a congressional newspaper and website. Full Story | Top |
| 'Verbal altercation' may have led to Fort Hood rampage: Army Friday, Apr 04, 2014 03:10 PM PDT  By Lisa Maria Garza and Eileen O'Grady FORT HOOD, Texas (Reuters) - The suspected gunman at Fort Hood in Texas argued heatedly with fellow soldiers before going on a shooting spree that left three dead and 16 injured at the expansive U.S. Army base, a military investigator said on Friday. The suspected shooter Ivan Lopez, a 34-year-old soldier battling mental illness, then turned the gun on himself in the second mass shooting at the base in the last five years. "We do have credible information he was involved in a verbal altercation with soldiers from his unit just prior to him allegedly opening fire," Christopher Grey, of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, told a news conference, without offering further details. Investigators from the military, Texas Rangers and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have interviewed more than 900 people to gather details of the crime scene that played out over an area covering about two city blocks, Grey said. Full Story | Top |
| Harrisburg mayor spoke to grand jury on city finances Friday, Apr 04, 2014 03:09 PM PDT The mayor of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, said on Friday he recently testified before a grand jury investigating how the city's finances declined to near bankruptcy under its previous administration. Mayor Eric Papenfuse confirmed media reports that he had been subpoenaed and testified. He said the city was cooperating with Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane's office, including handing over documents. "I've never felt more confident that we will have accountability for Harrisburg," he was quoted by the Roxbury News as saying. Full Story | Top |
| Prince George's first tour stifles Australia/New Zealand republicans Friday, Apr 04, 2014 03:08 PM PDT  By Belinda Goldsmith and Thuy Ong LONDON/SYDNEY (Reuters) - He may still be in nappies but Prince George embarks on his first official tour this weekend as Britain's younger royals ride a wave of popularity that is expected to dampen republican movements in Australia and New Zealand. The eight-month-old prince, third-in-line to the British throne, will accompany his parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on a three-week tour of the two former British colonies. His first official event is expected to be at a parent and baby group on April 9 at Government House in Wellington, the New Zealand capital, the residence where his father, Prince William, crawled for the first time during a royal tour in 1983. The Queen, who turns 88 this month, is scaling back her workload and the younger royals - William and his party-loving brother Harry - are taking on more duties as is their father and heir apparent Prince Charles. Full Story | Top |
| McDonald's quits Crimea as fears of trade clash grow Friday, Apr 04, 2014 02:53 PM PDT  By Natalia Zinets KIEV (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp said on Friday it had closed its restaurants in Crimea, prompting fears of a backlash as a prominent Moscow politician called for all of the U.S. fast food chain's outlets in Russia to be shut. Crimea's annexation by Russia, which Ukraine and the West do not acknowledge, has worried companies with assets in the Black Sea peninsula as it is unclear how the change may affect their business. McDonald's said the decision was strictly based on business and had "nothing to do with politics." Nevertheless, its move to temporarily close restaurants in Simferopol, Sevastopol and Yalta is likely to be seen as emblematic of the rift in Western-Russian relations, now at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War. "Like many other multi-national companies, McDonald's is currently evaluating potential business and regulatory implications which may result from the evolving situation in Crimea," McDonald's said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Remembering Fort Hood's fallen Friday, Apr 04, 2014 02:48 PM PDT  (Reuters) - The three soldiers who died in the shooting rampage at Texas' Fort Hood this week were all men in their 30s, according to new details from friends and family that emerged on Friday, two days after the attack at the massive Army base. Details on the three victims follows: Sergeant First Class Daniel Ferguson, 39, has been described as the hero of Fort Hood, for physically holding a door shut, preventing the gunman from entering a room full of military personnel. "He held that door shut because it wouldn't lock," fiance and fellow soldier Kristen Haley told WTSP, a CBS TV affiliate in Tampa, Florida. Sergeant Timothy Owens, 37, died after apparently being shot in the chest at close range, his mother-in-law, Darlene Owens, told the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper. Full Story | Top |
| Lululemon prevails in lawsuits over yoga pants recall Friday, Apr 04, 2014 02:47 PM PDT  By Jonathan Stempel and Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - A lawsuit accusing Lululemon Athletica Inc of defrauding shareholders by hiding defects in some yoga pants that led to a costly recall and caused the retailer's stock price to fall should be dismissed, a U.S. judge said. Investors accused Lululemon of failing to disclose how its black Luon yoga pants were too sheer, falsely touting its quality control, covering up an inability to address shortfalls, using deep discounts to boost market share, and concealing plans to replace its then-chief executive, Christine Day. The case arose after shoppers found that pants containing Lululemon's proprietary Luon fabric were see-through when worn. In a draft decision released on Friday, U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan said statements made by the company, Day and founder Dennis "Chip" Wilson touting the superior quality of Lululemon's products were "puffery," and neither intended to mislead nor untrue when they were made. Full Story | Top |
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