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Friday, March 30, 2012 8:30 PM PDT

Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: UAE closes Dubai office of U.S. pro-democracy group What Supreme Court? Obama defends healthcare law, skirts debate In Myanmar, voters prepare for clash of symbols Israeli envoy praises Argentina for 1994 bombing probe New York police accused of "uncivilized" arrest of diplomat Lawyer says U.S. blocks investigation of Afghan massacre Mali coup leader seeks help as rebels seize towns Harrisburg receiver Unkovic resigns: mayor's office Current TV fires star commentator Olbermann Wisconsin's Walker faces recall vote over union curbs Clinton, Saudi's Abdullah discuss world oil balance Documents show debate over handling of 9/11 remains U.S. drones attack militants in Pakistan, Yemen JetBlue copilot's neighbors not surprised at his composure U.N.'s Ban to appoint new judges for Cambodia tribunal Mexican presidential favorite vows to restore peace California campaign treasurer pleads guilty to fraud Obama says enough world oil to crack down on Iran IRS is odds-on favorite in lottery mania Exclusive: Iran helps Syria ship oil to China: sources Lawyer says U.S. blocks investigation of Afghan massacre Sensing victory, Romney turns attention to Obama fight Supreme Court takes up healthcare in secrecy Poll: Republicans follow healthcare case closely New Canada reviews to apply to existing projects Yemen LNG pipeline blown up, output halted after drone attack UK says report of Afghan plot to kill envoys is credible Hungarian president vows to stay on U.S. farmers to plant the most corn in 75 years Florida teen's body showed no sign of fight, funeral director says Analysis: Storm clouds gather over Monti's Italy reform drive U.S. displacing Japan as No. 1 for highest corp taxes Outspoken Morocco rapper charged over "insulting" song Hezbollah says world no longer seeks overthrow of Syria's Assad Syrian army must pull back first under Annan plan House Republicans discuss reviving earmarks Expedia files Google complaint to EU regulators Catholic college cans Kennedy speech, blames bishop EU watchdog: bank rate probes include Tokyo's Tibor U.S. says has had good talks with South Korea over Iran sanctions UAE closes Dubai office of U.S. pro-democracy group Fri,30 Mar 2012 05:54 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates has closed the Dubai office of the National Democratic Institute, a U.S.-funded pro-democracy group that was the subject of a crackdown in Egypt, the U.S. State Department said on Friday. "We understand that the UAE government has closed the NDI office in Dubai," said State Department spokesman Noel Clay, offering no further details but defending the group's work. "NDI is a respected organization that has been working across the region and beyond to promote civil society, development and democratic values. ... Full Story Top What Supreme Court? Obama defends healthcare law, skirts debate Fri,30 Mar 2012 05:52 PM PDT Reuters - Portland, Maine (Reuters) - He didn't mention them by name, but they seemed to be on his mind. President Barack Obama defended his healthcare reform effort on Friday without mentioning the Supreme Court justices who hold the law's fate in their hands. Obama's healthcare legislation, considered his signature domestic policy achievement, dominated headlines this week as the Supreme Court heard arguments about its constitutionality. ... Full Story Top In Myanmar, voters prepare for clash of symbols Fri,30 Mar 2012 05:46 PM PDT Reuters - YANGON (Reuters) - As Myanmar prepares to vote in only its third election in 50 years, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party faces a challenge that seems at odds with her global celebrity and long fight for democracy: brand recognition. "I'm worried that some people think that this represents our party," says Dr May Win Myint, a candidate in her National League for Democracy (NLD), pointing to the logo of the rival National Democratic Force (NDF), created by former NLD members. ... Full Story Top Israeli envoy praises Argentina for 1994 bombing probe Fri,30 Mar 2012 05:43 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Israel's U.N. envoy on Friday praised Argentina for reinvigorating its investigation of a deadly 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that Argentine authorities have blamed on Iran. "I think they're re-energizing" their work on the case, Israel's U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor told reporters. "In the past there was not a real motivation to check (the facts)," he said. "I see it differently today. One should give them credit for it. I see it differently today on the Argentinean side. ... Full Story Top New York police accused of "uncivilized" arrest of diplomat Fri,30 Mar 2012 05:03 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A senior Caribbean diplomat has accused the New York City Police Department of "flagrant violation" of the rules of diplomatic immunity and privileges by aggressively arresting the ambassador of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The New York police countered by saying that the envoy from the tiny island nation refused to identify himself after pushing past a security barrier intended to protect Israel's diplomatic headquarters in New York City from attack. In a letter to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, Delano Bart, ambassador of St. ... Full Story Top Lawyer says U.S. blocks investigation of Afghan massacre Fri,30 Mar 2012 05:00 PM PDT Reuters - SEATTLE (Reuters) - The lawyer defending the U.S. soldier accused of murdering 17 Afghan civilians claims U.S. authorities are blocking his ability to investigate the incident. John Henry Browne, the lawyer for Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, said U.S. forces in Afghanistan have prevented his team from interviewing injured civilians at a hospital in Kandahar, and are allowing other potential witnesses to scatter, making it difficult to track them down. ... Full Story Top Mali coup leader seeks help as rebels seize towns Fri,30 Mar 2012 04:47 PM PDT Reuters - BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali's junta leader appealed for outside help to secure the West African country on Friday as separatist Tuareg rebels took the strategic northern town of Kidal and advanced towards new targets further south. Arms spilling out of Libya from last year's conflict have bolstered a northern rebellion in Mali. President Amadou Toumani Toure was facing rising unpopularity over his failure to halt the rebellion before he was toppled in last week's coup. ... Full Story Top Harrisburg receiver Unkovic resigns: mayor's office Fri,30 Mar 2012 04:43 PM PDT Reuters - Harrisburg, Pa (Reuters) - The receiver appointed to oversee the finances of cash-strapped Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, unexpectedly resigned after just four months on the job, throwing into disarray plans to help the city deal with its debt problems. David Unkovic was appointed in December to help Harrisburg, the state's capital, work through $317 million of debt incurred by cost overruns from the upgrade of the city's incinerator. This week a court ruled a second receiver was needed, solely for the incinerator, in addition to Unkovic who was the state appointed receiver for the city. ... Full Story Top Current TV fires star commentator Olbermann Fri,30 Mar 2012 04:22 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Current TV said on Friday it fired star news anchor Keith Olbermann after one year with the progressive public affairs network, accusing him of breaching his contract and trying to sabotage the TV channel. But Olbermann, in a series of Twitter postings on Friday, fired back at his former bosses saying Current's statements were untrue and vowing to take legal action. The outspoken liberal, who hosted a one-hour prime time show on Current, clashed with network executives earlier this year over coverage of the 2012 U.S. presidential election campaign. Former U.S. ... Full Story Top Wisconsin's Walker faces recall vote over union curbs Fri,30 Mar 2012 04:21 PM PDT Reuters - MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Wisconsin's controversial Republican Governor Scott Walker will face a recall election on June 5 over a new law he championed that strips public sector unions of most power, becoming the first U.S. governor to face a no-confidence vote in nearly a decade. The five-member Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, which manages elections, voted unanimously on Friday to formally certify more than 900,000 signatures calling for Walker's ouster, setting the recall election in motion. ... Full Story Top Clinton, Saudi's Abdullah discuss world oil balance Fri,30 Mar 2012 04:10 PM PDT Reuters - RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed Saudi Arabia's role in maintaining a stable world oil supply in talks on Friday with Saudi King Abdullah, a U.S. official said. The United States and Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, have been strategic allies since the 1940s, but discord over how to respond to Arab popular uprisings strained relations last year. Although the two states have mended the rift, differences persist on regional policy and how to tackle high oil prices. ... Full Story Top Documents show debate over handling of 9/11 remains Fri,30 Mar 2012 04:07 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cremated remains that may have included those of victims of the September 11 attacks were incinerated and sent to a landfill despite an internal debate in which some officials at the main U.S. military mortuary recommended the ashes be dispersed at sea. Documents released on Friday show that nearly one year after the September 11, 2001 attacks, military and civilian personnel responsible for the mortuary at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware engaged in an lengthy e-mail exchange over what to do with 1,321 portions of remains. ... Full Story Top U.S. drones attack militants in Pakistan, Yemen Fri,30 Mar 2012 04:03 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-operated drones carried out deadly missile strikes against suspected al Qaeda targets in Pakistan and Yemen on Friday, U.S. government sources said. There was no connection between the targets in the two locations, other than the fact that both sets of militants who were attacked were believed to have had some connection with al Qaeda affiliates, according to the sources. Reports from Aden said that at least five suspected al Qaeda militants traveling in a car in southern Yemen's Shabwa province were killed when a drone strike set their vehicle on fire. ... Full Story Top JetBlue copilot's neighbors not surprised at his composure Fri,30 Mar 2012 03:54 PM PDT Reuters - SALEM, Ohio (Reuters) - The day JetBlue copilot Jason Dowd guided a chaotic flight to safety while its screaming captain lay pinned by passengers on the cabin floor was more than just a day of quick thinking and calm under pressure. It was virtually ten years to the day Dowd lost his eldest sister to cancer. Dowd, a father of two young children, still lives in suburban Salem, Ohio, where he graduated from high school, where his parents still live and his sister taught elementary school before her death on March 28, 2002, his family said. ... Full Story Top U.N.'s Ban to appoint new judges for Cambodia tribunal Fri,30 Mar 2012 03:52 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on Friday that he would appoint two new judges for Cambodia's troubled U.N.-backed Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal and urged the government of the Southeast Asian nation to cooperate with them. Swiss judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet quit as reserve co-investigating judge of the tribunal earlier this month, while his predecessor, German judge Siegfried Blunk, left the post in October. ... Full Story Top Mexican presidential favorite vows to restore peace Fri,30 Mar 2012 03:46 PM PDT Reuters - GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexican presidential front-runner Enrique Pena Nieto vowed to overcome the drug-fueled violence engulfing his country as the campaign for the July 1 election kicked off with the ruling conservatives struggling to avoid defeat. Pena Nieto, the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party's (PRI) candidate, is favored to succeed President Felipe Calderon, whose term in office has been dominated by the government's battle to crack down on brutal drug gangs. ... Full Story Top California campaign treasurer pleads guilty to fraud Fri,30 Mar 2012 03:21 PM PDT Reuters - SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - A Democratic campaign treasurer accused of draining up to $20 million from the war chests of Senator Dianne Feinstein and others pleaded guilty on Friday to fraud charges, in a case a prosecutor compared to that of Bernard Madoff. Kinde Durkee, 59, who was charged with five counts of mail fraud, entered her plea to all counts in federal court in Sacramento. She faces up to 14 years in prison. ... Full Story Top Obama says enough world oil to crack down on Iran Fri,30 Mar 2012 03:20 PM PDT Reuters - BURLINGTON, Vt./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama vowed on Friday to forge ahead with tough sanctions on Iran, saying there was enough oil in the world market - including emergency stockpiles - to allow countries to cut Iranian imports. In his decision, required by a sanctions law he signed in December, Obama said increased production by some countries as well as "the existence of strategic reserves" helped him come to the conclusion that sanctions can advance. ... Full Story Top IRS is odds-on favorite in lottery mania Fri,30 Mar 2012 03:17 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The odds of winning the $640-million "Mega Millions" lottery are estimated to be 175 million-to-1, according to its sponsors, but for the Internal Revenue Service, it's a sure thing. No matter who wins the largest lottery jackpot in world history, the IRS is certain to score a 25-percent cut. The tax-collecting agency subjects lottery winnings of more than $5,000 to a 25-percent federal withholding tax. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: Iran helps Syria ship oil to China: sources Fri,30 Mar 2012 03:15 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Iran is helping its ally Syria defy Western sanctions by providing a vessel to ship Syrian oil to a state-run company in China, potentially giving the government of President Bashar al-Assad a financial boost worth an estimated $80 million. Iran, itself a target of Western sanctions, is among Syria's closest allies and has promised to do all it can to support Assad, recently praising his handling of the year-long uprising against Assad in which thousands have been killed. ... Full Story Top Lawyer says U.S. blocks investigation of Afghan massacre Fri,30 Mar 2012 03:05 PM PDT Reuters - SEATTLE (Reuters) - The lawyer defending the U.S. soldier accused of murdering 17 Afghan civilians claims U.S. authorities are blocking his ability to investigate the incident. John Henry Browne, the lawyer for Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, said U.S. forces in Afghanistan have prevented his team from interviewing injured civilians at a hospital in Kandahar, and are allowing other potential witnesses to scatter, making it difficult to track them down. "My gut is the reason is they don't have much of a case," said Browne at a press conference at his downtown Seattle office on Friday. ... Full Story Top Sensing victory, Romney turns attention to Obama fight Fri,30 Mar 2012 03:01 PM PDT Reuters - APPLETON, Wisconsin (Reuters) - Closing in on the Republican nomination, presidential hopeful Mitt Romney turned his attention on Friday to a general election fight with President Barack Obama over the U.S. economy. At the start of a five-day blitz in Wisconsin that could prove crucial to the Republican race, Romney ignored his three party rivals and tried to position himself as the presumed nominee to face Obama in the November 6 election. ... Full Story Top Supreme Court takes up healthcare in secrecy Fri,30 Mar 2012 02:52 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Supreme Court justices on Friday held closed-door deliberations on President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul law, likely casting preliminary votes on how they will eventually rule on their highest-profile case in years. In an institution known for keeping its secrets, no leaks are likely before formal opinions have been written and announced from the bench. That is not expected to occur until late June, when the court is set to go on its regular summer recess. ... Full Story Top Poll: Republicans follow healthcare case closely Fri,30 Mar 2012 02:52 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration's healthcare law continues to be a stronger rallying point for Republicans than for Democrats, according to a Reuters/Ipsos online poll released on Friday. The poll found a partisan split in how closely people are following a Supreme Court case about the two-year-old law: 80 percent of Republicans are aware of the legal fight, compared to 62 percent of Democrats. It also found that 51 percent of Republicans said they would be "much more likely" to vote for a member of Congress who favors repeal of the law. ... Full Story Top New Canada reviews to apply to existing projects Fri,30 Mar 2012 02:27 PM PDT Reuters - OTTAWA/CALGARY (Reuters) - Streamlined rules for approving mines and pipelines in Canada will apply to existing environmental reviews and could have an impact on Enbridge Inc's proposed Northern Gateway oil pipeline, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver told Reuters on Friday. Canada's Conservative government on Thursday said it would soon unveil measures to speed up the process of environmental assessments for projects, including setting firm timetables for formal hearings. ... Full Story Top Yemen LNG pipeline blown up, output halted after drone attack Fri,30 Mar 2012 02:13 PM PDT Reuters - ADEN (Reuters) - A U.S. drone attack killed at least five suspected al Qaeda militants in southern Yemen on Friday, and gunmen retaliated by blowing up an LNG pipeline, forcing output to be stopped, officials and energy workers said. The drone set fire to the militants' car in the southern province of Shabwa and killed all its occupants, one official said. One bystander was also killed and five were wounded, officials and residents told Reuters. ... Full Story Top UK says report of Afghan plot to kill envoys is credible Fri,30 Mar 2012 02:00 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's outgoing ambassador to Afghanistan said on Friday there was "some credibility" to reports that an Afghan governor plotted to kill the U.S., French and British envoys to Kabul in 2009, but that there was not enough evidence for a trial. U.S. investigators allege former governor Ghulam Qawis Abu Bakr ordered a 2009 suicide bombing that killed two U.S. soldiers, and that he plotted to kill the U.S., French and British ambassadors in November 2009, the Wall Street Journal said on Thursday. ... Full Story Top Hungarian president vows to stay on Fri,30 Mar 2012 01:58 PM PDT Reuters - BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian President Pal Schmitt resisted pressure on Friday to quit, saying there was no link between a plagiarism row that cost him his doctorate and his role as head of state, pledging to defend his reputation by writing a new thesis. The controversy comes at a sensitive time for Hungary as it tries to resolve a lengthy dispute with the European Union on contested new laws to unlock stalled talks on financial support. ... Full Story Top U.S. farmers to plant the most corn in 75 years Fri,30 Mar 2012 01:57 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. farmers will plant the most corn in 75 years to cash in on higher prices, topping expectations at the expense of soybean and spring wheat sowings, according to a U.S. government report on Friday. The dramatic expansion raised hopes that the next harvest would ease razor-thin supplies that have kept corn prices near historic highs. The Agriculture Department, in a separate report, said supplies in storage as of March 1 were smaller than expected, making a big crop imperative. ... Full Story Top Florida teen's body showed no sign of fight, funeral director says Fri,30 Mar 2012 01:39 PM PDT Reuters - MIAMI (Reuters) - The Florida funeral director who prepared Trayvon Martin's body for burial said there were no bruises or other signs of a fight like the one described by the neighborhood watch volunteer who killed him. The only injury on the 17-year-old's body was the fatal gunshot wound in his chest, funeral director Richard Kurtz told the CBS4 television station in Miami. George Zimmerman told police he shot Martin inside a gated community in central Florida on February 26 in self-defense after Martin attacked him and repeatedly bashed his head into a concrete walkway. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Storm clouds gather over Monti's Italy reform drive Fri,30 Mar 2012 01:27 PM PDT Reuters - ROME (Reuters) - Storm clouds are gathering over Mario Monti's efforts to transform the Italian economy, with his approval ratings dropping, mounting protests against his reforms and a damaging row with the parties that sustain him in parliament. Monti shot out of the blocks after being appointed prime minister in November and quickly implemented tough austerity measures to fend off the debt crisis. But he now risks running into political quicksands that will slow down and weaken the much harder task of reviving a notoriously stagnant economy. ... Full Story Top U.S. displacing Japan as No. 1 for highest corp taxes Fri,30 Mar 2012 01:16 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will hold the dubious distinction starting on Sunday of having the developed world's highest corporate tax rate after Japan's drops to 38.01 percent, setting the stage for much political posturing but probably little tax reform. Japan and the United States have been tied for the top combined, statutory corporate rate, with levies of 39.5 percent and 39.2 percent, respectively. These rates include central government, regional and local taxes. ... Full Story Top Outspoken Morocco rapper charged over "insulting" song Fri,30 Mar 2012 01:03 PM PDT Reuters - RABAT (Reuters) - A Moroccan rapper was charged on Friday with insulting public authorities in a song that was posted on YouTube, at the start of a trial criticised by his supporters as a new attempt to muzzle an outspoken critic of the monarchy. The court, in Casablanca, adjourned the trial of Mouad Belrhouat, known as El-Haqed or "The Sullen One", to April 4 and refused him bail, his lawyer Hatim Bekkar said. ... Full Story Top Hezbollah says world no longer seeks overthrow of Syria's Assad Fri,30 Mar 2012 01:00 PM PDT Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's Hezbollah group said on Friday Arab and international efforts to end the conflict in Syria have moved away from demanding that President Bashar al-Assad steps down and now appear focused on achieving political dialogue. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, a key Assad ally, also said rebels who have fought a year-long campaign to oust Assad were incapable of toppling him and that the option of foreign military intervention in Syria was a "closed subject". ... Full Story Top Syrian army must pull back first under Annan plan Fri,30 Mar 2012 01:00 PM PDT Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian artillery hit parts of Homs city and at least 37 people were killed in clashes around Syria on Friday, opposition activists said, as peace envoy Kofi Annan told President Bashar al-Assad his forces must be first to cease fire and withdraw. "The deadline is now," Annan's spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said in Geneva. "We expect him to implement this plan immediately." An army pullback to bases would permit a safe return to mass, peaceful protest, said anti-government activists. But there was no sign of any risk-free demonstrations on Friday. ... Full Story Top House Republicans discuss reviving earmarks Fri,30 Mar 2012 12:46 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The huge federal transportation bill was in tatters in early March when Representative Mike Rogers of Alabama posed a heretical idea for breaking through gridlock in the House. In a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans, Rogers recommended reviving a proven legislative sweetener that became politically toxic a year ago. Bring back earmarks, Rogers, who was first elected to Congress in 2002, told his colleagues. ... Full Story Top Expedia files Google complaint to EU regulators Fri,30 Mar 2012 12:29 PM PDT Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Online travel agency Expedia on Friday accused Google of breaching EU rules with a formal complaint to EU antitrust regulators as it joined a dozen other firms that have taken their case to the European Commission in the last two years. The EU watchdog is now investigating the world's most popular search engine after rivals, including Microsoft, accused Google of abusing its dominant position in the market for Web search engines. ... Full Story Top Catholic college cans Kennedy speech, blames bishop Fri,30 Mar 2012 12:25 PM PDT Reuters - BOSTON (Reuters) - A small Massachusetts Roman Catholic college rescinded its invitation to Vicki Kennedy to speak at its graduation ceremony this spring, saying the local bishop objected to honoring the widow of the liberal lion Senator Edward M. Kennedy. A spokesman for Worcester Bishop Robert McManus declined to say why exactly he objected to the choice of Kennedy, a member of the most prominent U.S. Catholic family in politics. "Bishop McManus is acting, he feels, consistently with what all of the U.S. ... Full Story Top EU watchdog: bank rate probes include Tokyo's Tibor Fri,30 Mar 2012 12:20 PM PDT Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU regulators are investigating whether banks may have manipulated the Tokyo interbank lending rate, Tibor, in addition to the London and European Libor and Euribor rates, the EU's antitrust chief said on Friday. The European Commission and enforcers in the United States, Switzerland and Japan are currently investigating whether banks influenced key interbank lending rates that affect loans around the world. Last year the European Commission raided several lenders, related to its Euribor investigation. ... Full Story Top U.S. says has had good talks with South Korea over Iran sanctions Fri,30 Mar 2012 12:13 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House officials have had "constructive discussions" with South Korea on reducing their imports of Iranian oil, a senior Obama administration official said on Friday. President Barack Obama decided on Friday there is enough oil in global markets to move forward with sanctions on countries that do not reduce imports of Iran's oil. South Korea, the fourth largest buyer of Iranian crude, is one of 12 countries, including China and India, that could face U.S. sanctions unless they reduce the shipments. ... Full Story Top

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