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Wednesday, April 18, 2012 8:32 PM PDT

Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: IMF says secures $320 billion in drive for new funds Factbox: IMF says has funding commitments of $320 billion Congress, White House in tug-of-war over arms sales India tests long-range missile with reach into China Japan exports jump, but trade still in red; corp mood dips Ted Nugent says Secret Service to quiz him about Obama remarks Too early to tell on North Korean leader: Clinton Poland commits $8 billion to IMF resources: Lagarde Haitian president condemns storming of Parliament California Lieutenant Governor Newsom gets Current TV show Secret Service says three employees to leave over Colombia scandal Teen pleads guilty to weapons charge in Utah school bomb plot Gun in USC robbery tested for links to murder of Chinese students Secret Service says three employees to leave over Colombia scandal Top U.S. colleges to offer free classes online Virginia legislature approves $85 billion budget International bodies condemn arrests by Mali junta Of silver spoons and Greek columns: Obama, Romney clash Troops pose with maimed Afghan insurgent bodies Republicans target Dodd-Frank for deficit savings Animal sacrifice case underpins Guantanamo legal challenge Gunfire and wrangling cloud U.N. Syria mission Congress, White House in tug-of-war over arms sales As U.S. ages, Europe-style problems could flourish Top Republican rejects criticism by Catholic bishops Bissau junta sets two-year roadmap to elections Barred Islamist says Egypt army wants to keep power Libya insists on Gaddafi son trial as ICC visits House panel okays $33 billion in food stamp cuts Yemen air strike kills six militants, government says Watergate figure, ministry founder Colson near death NATO says concrete plans emerging for Afghanistan after 2014 Netanyahu defends comparison of Iran, Nazi Holocaust Bissau junta sets two-year roadmap to elections Layoffs, freezes, retirements for U.S. public sector U.S. signals comfort with IMF bid for more funds Russia admits irregularities in regional vote after protests Exclusive: Bolivia says may de-flag Iranian ships Obama vs. Romney: Close, nasty and unpredictable Iraq war vet wins Arizona Republican primary for Giffords' seat IMF says secures $320 billion in drive for new funds Wed,18 Apr 2012 08:03 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday it had raised $320 billion so far in a bid to boost its firepower to deal with the euro zone debt crisis, with Poland and Switzerland joining the effort. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said she had received commitments of $34 billion on Wednesday, including $8 billion from Poland and "a substantial amount" from Switzerland. "Ensuring that the Fund has sufficient resources to tackle crises and to promote global economic stability is in the interests of all our members," she said in a statement. ... Full Story Top Factbox: IMF says has funding commitments of $320 billion Wed,18 Apr 2012 08:03 PM PDT Reuters - International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Wednesday she had secured commitments totaling about $320 billion in funding to help the IMF safeguard economies from the debt crisis in Europe. Lagarde has said she hoped to secure agreements totaling at least $400 billion for the IMF at talks in Washington this week among financial officials from around the globe. The following is a list of commitments by country, region or grouping of countries. ... Full Story Top Congress, White House in tug-of-war over arms sales Wed,18 Apr 2012 08:00 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration has trimmed the U.S. Congress' decades-long role in vetting billions of dollars in proposed arms sales in a move that will result in more congressional efforts to block deals, key lawmakers said in a letter made public Wednesday. The newly disclosed tug-of-war between the lawmakers and the administration over the issue threatens to derail case-by-case consideration of arms deals, an increasingly prominent aspect of U.S. foreign policy. Overseas sales account for a growing percentage, in some cases up to 25 percent or more, of annual revenue for ... Full Story Top India tests long-range missile with reach into China Wed,18 Apr 2012 07:54 PM PDT Reuters - NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India test-fired a long range missile capable of reaching deep inside China and Europe on Thursday, television stations showed, thrusting the emerging Asian power into an elite club of nations with intercontinental nuclear defense capabilities. (Reporting By Frank Jack Daniel) Full Story Top Japan exports jump, but trade still in red; corp mood dips Wed,18 Apr 2012 07:34 PM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's exports rose in March from a year earlier for the first time in six months, mainly on the strength of U.S. sales, but high fuel imports pushed the trade balance back into deficit and manufacturers remain cautious about business in months ahead. Reflecting rekindled worries about Europe's debt crisis and concerns the yen could rally again, manufacturing confidence dipped in April after a sharp rebound the previous month, a Reuters poll showed. ... Full Story Top Ted Nugent says Secret Service to quiz him about Obama remarks Wed,18 Apr 2012 07:15 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Ted Nugent said on Wednesday that the U.S. Secret Service has arranged to meet with him after the rock musician severely criticized President Barack Obama during the National Rifle Association convention last week. Nugent, who told the gun rights group last week that he would be "dead or in jail" next year if Obama is re-elected in November, appeared on conservative radio host Glenn Beck's show on Wednesday. He was asked if he had heard from the Secret Service. "We actually have heard from the Secret Service, and they have a duty, and I salute them. ... Full Story Top Too early to tell on North Korean leader: Clinton Wed,18 Apr 2012 07:04 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered some hope on Wednesday that North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong-un, may yet change course despite the reclusive Communist state's recent rocket launch and the threat of a new nuclear test. In an interview with CNN's "The Situation Room," Clinton said it was too early to tell what to make of the surprise remarks to soldiers on Sunday by the youngest son of the late Kim Jong-il, who saw North Korea fall into deep poverty and developed a nuclear weapons program during his 17-year rule. ... Full Story Top Poland commits $8 billion to IMF resources: Lagarde Wed,18 Apr 2012 06:02 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday Poland had committed $8 billion in additional financing resources to the global lender ahead of a meeting of finance chiefs in Washington over the weekend. "This is part of a concerted action among important creditors to ensure the Fund has sufficient resources to tackle the crisis and to promote global economic stability," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said in a statement. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; editing by Todd Eastham) Full Story Top Haitian president condemns storming of Parliament Wed,18 Apr 2012 05:56 PM PDT Reuters - PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Haitian President Michel Martelly, who was recovering in a Miami hospital on Wednesday from a blood clot in his lung, condemned the gunmen who stormed and briefly occupied the lower chamber of Parliament in Haiti's capital a day earlier. No shots were fired and no injuries reported during the tense incident that cut short the Chamber of Deputies' session on Tuesday. The intruders left the chamber without firing any shots. ... Full Story Top California Lieutenant Governor Newsom gets Current TV show Wed,18 Apr 2012 05:26 PM PDT Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Gavin Newsom, California's lieutenant governor who made international headlines when he granted marriage licenses to gay couples as San Francisco's mayor in 2004, will host a weekly talk show for left-leaning Current TV starting next month. The announcement by the network on Wednesday came amid a war of words and legal filings over Current's firing last month of former host Keith Olbermann. "The Gavin Newsom Show" will not replace Olbermann's "Countdown." "Viewpoint with Eliot Spitzer," hosted by the disgraced former New York governor, filled that spot. ... Full Story Top Secret Service says three employees to leave over Colombia scandal Wed,18 Apr 2012 05:10 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three U.S. Secret Service employees under investigation for alleged misconduct with prostitutes in Colombia before a trip by President Barack Obama are leaving their jobs, the agency said on Wednesday. They were among 11 Secret Service agents and 10 U.S. military personnel who allegedly took as many as 21 women back to their hotel virtually on the eve of Obama's weekend trip to Cartagena for the Summit of the Americas. ... Full Story Top Teen pleads guilty to weapons charge in Utah school bomb plot Wed,18 Apr 2012 05:07 PM PDT Reuters - SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - A 16-year-old boy who authorities said plotted to bomb his Utah high school, inspired by the 1999 Columbine school massacre, has pleaded guilty to a weapons charge, and prosecutors recommended he spend six months in juvenile detention. The teenager entered the plea on Tuesday in juvenile court in Ogden, Utah, to one count of possession or use of a weapon of mass destruction, court spokeswoman Nancy Volmer said. Prosecutors said the teen, who attended Roy High School about 30 miles north of Salt Lake City, was serious about carrying out the bomb plot. ... Full Story Top Gun in USC robbery tested for links to murder of Chinese students Wed,18 Apr 2012 05:05 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Four students were robbed at gunpoint near the University of Southern California on Wednesday, and investigators were testing the weapon in that case to see if it was the same one used to murder two graduate students from China last week, police said. A man brandishing a handgun confronted the three men and a woman as they walked near USC's fraternity row after midnight, demanding property from them, Los Angeles police officer Sara Faden said. The students handed over the belongings, but then two of the men chased the gunman, she said. ... Full Story Top Secret Service says three employees to leave over Colombia scandal Wed,18 Apr 2012 04:56 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three U.S. Secret Service employees under investigation for alleged misconduct with prostitutes in Colombia before a trip by President Barack Obama are leaving their jobs, the agency said on Wednesday. They were among 11 Secret Service agents and 10 U.S. military personnel who allegedly took as many as 21 women back to their hotel virtually on the eve of Obama's weekend trip to Cartagena for the Summit of the Americas. ... Full Story Top Top U.S. colleges to offer free classes online Wed,18 Apr 2012 04:56 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Five prestigious U.S. universities will create free online courses for students worldwide through a new, interactive education platform dubbed Coursera, the founders announced Wednesday. The two founders, both professors of computer science at Stanford University, also announced that they had received $16 million in financing from two Silicon Valley venture capital firms. Coursera will offer more than three dozen college courses in the coming year through its website at coursera. ... Full Story Top Virginia legislature approves $85 billion budget Wed,18 Apr 2012 04:53 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - The Virginia state Senate approved an $85 billion biennial budget in a special session on Wednesday, sending the spending plan already passed by the House to the governor for review. "I look forward to conducting an expedited comprehensive review of this final document in the weeks ahead, and making amendments as may be necessary," Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell said in a statement. The state Senate had failed to pass the budget on Tuesday over disputes about funding an extension of the metro train system to Dulles International Airport. ... Full Story Top International bodies condemn arrests by Mali junta Wed,18 Apr 2012 04:38 PM PDT Reuters - BAMAKO (Reuters) - International organizations condemned a wave of arrests by Mali's military rulers extended into a third day on Wednesday despite an agreement by the junta to restore constitutional order. The West African state has been in crisis since a March 22 coup derailed a planned April election and brought about a collapse of internal front lines as Tuareg separatists and Islamist rebels advanced and seized vast northern desert zones. ... Full Story Top Of silver spoons and Greek columns: Obama, Romney clash Wed,18 Apr 2012 04:18 PM PDT Reuters - ELYRIA, Ohio/CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) - President Barack Obama launched a new effort to woo Hispanics and took a swipe at Republican Mitt Romney's "silver spoon" background on Wednesday as the two presidential rivals laid out sharply different economic visions to win over U.S. voters. Obama, a Democrat, and Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee, outlined the weaknesses they saw in each other's economic plans in dueling speeches in Ohio and North Carolina. ... Full Story Top Troops pose with maimed Afghan insurgent bodies Wed,18 Apr 2012 04:02 PM PDT Reuters - BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. troops are seen posing with the maimed bodies of suspected Afghan insurgents in photos published on Wednesday, an incident that threatened to further fray U.S.-Afghan ties and prompted yet another apology from Washington for soldiers' misbehavior. In one of the pictures, a U.S. paratrooper posed next to an unofficial patch placed beside a body that read "Zombie Hunter," while in another photo soldiers posed with Afghan police holding the severed legs of an insurgent bomber. ... Full Story Top Republicans target Dodd-Frank for deficit savings Wed,18 Apr 2012 03:44 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the House of Representatives on Wednesday advanced a proposal to repeal a major section of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial oversight law as part of a broader deficit reduction effort, a move Democrats derided as a misguided budget gimmick. The House Financial Services Committee voted along party lines to repeal the section of the law that allows the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp to liquidate large, failing financial institutions seized by the government. ... Full Story Top Animal sacrifice case underpins Guantanamo legal challenge Wed,18 Apr 2012 03:42 PM PDT Reuters - MIAMI (Reuters) - A pending challenge to the jurisdiction of the Guantanamo war crimes tribunals relies in part on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld the right of Santeria priests in Florida to sacrifice chickens during religious ceremonies. The ruling was easily the most unusual cited last week in pretrial hearings for Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, a Saudi prisoner who could face the death penalty if convicted of orchestrating a suicide bomb attack that killed 17 U.S. sailors aboard the warship USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden. It was part of a larger defense argument that the U.S. ... Full Story Top Gunfire and wrangling cloud U.N. Syria mission Wed,18 Apr 2012 03:41 PM PDT Reuters - BEIRUT/PARIS (Reuters) - Gunfire and protests near a team of U.N. observers in Syria and diplomatic wrangling over the scope of their mission underlined the precarious prospects for a week-old truce which has so far failed to halt a year of bloodshed. Shooting erupted on Wednesday close to an advance party of military personnel from the United Nations who had been swarmed by protesters denouncing President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Erbin, on the northeastern outskirts of the capital Damascus. There were no reports of casualties. ... Full Story Top Congress, White House in tug-of-war over arms sales Wed,18 Apr 2012 03:39 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration has trimmed the U.S. Congress' decades-long role in vetting billions of dollars in proposed arms sales in a move that will result in more congressional efforts to block deals, key lawmakers said in a letter made public Wednesday. The newly disclosed tug-of-war between the lawmakers and the administration over the issue threatens to derail case-by-case consideration of arms deals, an increasingly prominent aspect of U.S. foreign policy. Overseas sales account for a growing percentage, in some cases up to 25 percent or more, of annual revenue for ... Full Story Top As U.S. ages, Europe-style problems could flourish Wed,18 Apr 2012 03:27 PM PDT Reuters - LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - The population of the United States is quickly aging, a trend that will soon have a big impact on local finances unless quick fixes are adopted. The alarm was sounded at a conference of municipal bond analysts in Las Vegas on Wednesday. "Problems we see now in Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal are the same ones we will be facing in 10 years from now," said Tom Gillaspy, a demographer with the state of Minnesota. With the exception of Alaska, which continues to attract young people, and Utah, which has a high birth rate, U.S. states are seeing their populations age. ... Full Story Top Top Republican rejects criticism by Catholic bishops Wed,18 Apr 2012 03:25 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Republican in the Congress on Wednesday defended his party's proposed deficit-cutting federal budget plan against complaints by Roman Catholic bishops that it would hurt the poor and violate certain "moral criteria." House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner argued that matters would worsen, with the government eventually unable to afford programs for the needy, unless it stops spending more money than it takes in. Boehner, who is Catholic, acknowledged that the bishops have a "moral argument," but said, "I want them to take a bigger look. ... Full Story Top Bissau junta sets two-year roadmap to elections Wed,18 Apr 2012 03:23 PM PDT Reuters - BISSAU (Reuters) - Guinea-Bissau's military junta said on Wednesday it would take two years to restore democratic rule in the West African state through elections that will be set by a soon-to-be-named caretaker government. The announcement came after broad international condemnation of the shadowy "Military Command" which seized power last week and cut short a presidential poll by detaining its front-runner, former Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior. The former Portuguese colony has seen several coups and army revolts since independence in 1974. ... Full Story Top Barred Islamist says Egypt army wants to keep power Wed,18 Apr 2012 03:18 PM PDT Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - A leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said on Wednesday his removal from the presidential ballot showed the army wanted to cling to power, a charge that turns up the heat between generals and Islamists, who both say they back a transition to democracy. Khairat al-Shater, a wealthy businessman and top official in the Brotherhood, Egypt's biggest Islamist group, had been a frontrunner for next month's first round of voting - until the election committee rejected his bid over a criminal record he acquired during political persecution under Hosni Mubarak. ... Full Story Top Libya insists on Gaddafi son trial as ICC visits Wed,18 Apr 2012 03:03 PM PDT Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor met Libyan officials in Tripoli on Wednesday where they reiterated that Muammar Gaddafi's detained son would be tried at home, despite calls by the Hague-based court to hand him over. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam last year, after prosecutors accused him and others of involvement in the killing of protesters during the revolt that eventually toppled his father. ... Full Story Top House panel okays $33 billion in food stamp cuts Wed,18 Apr 2012 02:55 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional panel approved about $33 billion in cuts over 10 years from food stamp benefits, in a largely symbolic and highly partisan vote opposed by committee Democrats and by anti-poverty groups. The cuts advanced by the House of Representatives Agriculture Committee on Wednesday would reduce spending on food stamps that help 46 million people buy food by $7.7 billion in the first year, by $19.7 billion in five years, and the balance in the next five years. The cuts are expected to die in the Democratic-controlled Senate. ... Full Story Top Yemen air strike kills six militants, government says Wed,18 Apr 2012 02:45 PM PDT Reuters - ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) - Yemeni warplanes killed at least six militants linked to al Qaeda on Wednesday, the government said as it pressed ahead with an offensive against insurgents in the south. Since the outbreak of anti-government protests that unseated former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, security has deteriorated in Yemen, particularly in the south, where the army is struggling to control Islamist fighters. The defense ministry said it launched an air strike on a group of militants near the southern city of Lawdar, killing six. ... Full Story Top Watergate figure, ministry founder Colson near death Wed,18 Apr 2012 02:39 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chuck Colson, an aide to President Richard Nixon who went to jail over the Watergate scandal and later became an evangelical Christian and founder of a prison ministry, was near death on Wednesday at a Northern Virginia hospital, his associate said. Colson, 80, underwent surgery more than two weeks ago to remove clotting on his brain and there had been some "hopeful signs" during his recovery, Jim Liske, chief executive of Prison Fellowship Ministries, said in a message to staff on the organization's website. ... Full Story Top NATO says concrete plans emerging for Afghanistan after 2014 Wed,18 Apr 2012 02:38 PM PDT Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Wednesday he saw an "emerging agreement" among the alliance's members on what role they would play in Afghanistan once that country's forces take charge of security by 2015. Speaking during a meeting of NATO allies in Brussels, Rasmussen said a number of member states had already pledged the size of their financial contributions to help the Afghan government maintain security forces after 2014. ... Full Story Top Netanyahu defends comparison of Iran, Nazi Holocaust Wed,18 Apr 2012 02:35 PM PDT Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected criticism of his likening of a nuclear-armed Iran to the Nazi Holocaust as improper, saying in an address to the country on Wednesday that "uncomfortable truths" must be aired. He defended his analogy on the eve of Israel's annual day of Holocaust remembrance against those who say it is not only irreverent to the six million Jews killed by Hitler's Germany but also stokes panic about a new war. ... Full Story Top Bissau junta sets two-year roadmap to elections Wed,18 Apr 2012 02:30 PM PDT Reuters - BISSAU (Reuters) - Guinea-Bissau's military junta said on Wednesday it would hand power fully back to civilians in two years, after elections that will be set by a soon-to-be-named caretaker government. The announcement came after broad international condemnation of the West African state's shadowy "Military Command", which seized power last week and cut short a presidential election by detaining its front-runner, Carlos Gomes Junior. The former Portuguese colony has seen several coups and army revolts since independence in 1974. ... Full Story Top Layoffs, freezes, retirements for U.S. public sector Wed,18 Apr 2012 02:23 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - More than half of local and state employees continue to work under pay freezes, while others are accelerating their retirements or facing the prospects of layoffs as the effects of the recession linger on the public sector, according to a survey released on Wednesday. The survey of members of the International Public Management Association for Human Resources and the National Association of State Personnel Executives, found public employees also worry about their image. ... Full Story Top U.S. signals comfort with IMF bid for more funds Wed,18 Apr 2012 02:12 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday threw its support behind a bid to boost the International Monetary Fund's financial resources, signaling greater satisfaction among Group of 20 nations with Europe's efforts to resolve its debt crisis. The U.S. government will not chip in more money of its own, but warm words from Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner for commitments by others may clear a path for G20 nations meeting this week in Washington to agree on a way to bolster the IMF's war chest. ... Full Story Top Russia admits irregularities in regional vote after protests Wed,18 Apr 2012 02:09 PM PDT Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia admitted on Wednesday that some irregularities had taken place in the course of a disputed mayoral election in a southern Russian city last month, after the victory of a pro-Kremlin candidate there set off a wave of anti-government protests. The disputed election in Astrakhan has become a focus for the opposition as it tries to breathe new life into its protest movement which has lost steam since Vladimir Putin was elected president for a six-year term on March 4. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: Bolivia says may de-flag Iranian ships Wed,18 Apr 2012 01:59 PM PDT Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - Bolivia could strike 15 vessels linked to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines off its shipping register just weeks after IRISL found Bolivian replacements for their Maltese and Cypriot flags. IRISL, its many subsidiaries and their dozens of ships have drawn sanctions from the United States, United Nations and the European Union for their suspected role in transporting military equipment for Tehran. ... Full Story Top Obama vs. Romney: Close, nasty and unpredictable Wed,18 Apr 2012 01:57 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The 2012 presidential election is more than six months away, but here is what we know so far: It is going to be close, it is going to be nasty, and the outcome could turn on a series of unpredictable events. Democratic President Barack Obama is a slight favorite now, but as tightening poll numbers suggest, his lead over Republican Mitt Romney is tenuous. ... Full Story Top Iraq war vet wins Arizona Republican primary for Giffords' seat Wed,18 Apr 2012 01:37 PM PDT Reuters - TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) - Iraq war veteran Jesse Kelly has won the Republican primary in Arizona to pick the party's candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives seat of former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was wounded in a shooting spree last year and later resigned. Kelly, who narrowly lost to Giffords in 2010, won the four-way primary with 36 percent of the vote, the Arizona Secretary of State's office said on Wednesday. ... Full Story Top

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