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Thursday, May 31, 2012 8:30 PM PDT

Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Bill Clinton says Romney qualified to run, but Obama better China eyes domestic demand to spur growth: vice NDRC head Ex-Senator acquitted on campaign finance charge Seattle shooting "hero" threw stools at gunman: police Panetta urges aggressive international pressure on Syria Greek conservatives warn of euro exit nightmare Putin attacks EU sanctions on Belarus visit Irish govt sees EU treaty "Yes" vote ahead of count Osborne files suit over EU short-selling rules - FT Queen announces Northern Ireland visit in advance for first time Ministers backed Murdoch takeover - inquiry Judge hears challenge to 2004 NY police mass arrests Judge hears challenge to 2004 NY police mass arrests California sued over conditions at prison's high-security unit Greek pro-bailout party leads leftists in surveys Putin attacks EU sanctions on Belarus visit Talks to end Quebec student strike break down Lockheed says Pentagon paperwork adds to overhead costs Irish govt sees EU treaty "Yes" vote ahead of count Money flies out of Spain, regions pressured Osborne files suit over EU short-selling rules - FT Sudan to keep police in disputed Abyei region Sudan to keep police in disputed Abyei region Ex-Senator Edwards acquitted on campaign finance charge Jobs data points to recovery losing momentum Insight: From a ferry, a Chinese fast-attack boat Blind activist urges U.S. to push China on rule of law Judge blocks part of "harsh" Florida voting law U.S. tells Spain solution needed for troubled banks U.S. national kidnapped in Benin is freed Romney to submit personal financial statement on Friday JPMorgan not triggering major regulatory rethink Senate contender Warren denies using ethnicity for unfair gain FARC ready for peace or war, says French reporter Obama urged to threaten aid to Mexico over tuna labels Gamesmanship abounds as Obama, Romney campaigns duel over jobs U.N. Security Council concerned by lack of aid access in Sudan U.S. prosecutor in Swiss tax probe to exit Russian protest fund manager looks to elite for cash Lawmakers tell Obama to rein in energy exports Bill Clinton says Romney qualified to run, but Obama better Thu,31 May 2012 07:54 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former President Bill Clinton believes a candidate with Republican Mitt Romney's business success and political background is qualified for the White House, but he said Democratic President Barack Obama would be a better choice for the country. "There is no question that in terms of getting up and going to the office and basically performing the essential functions of the office, a man who has been governor and had a sterling business career crosses the qualification threshold," Clinton said of Romney in an interview with CNN on Thursday. ... Full Story Top China eyes domestic demand to spur growth: vice NDRC head Thu,31 May 2012 07:31 PM PDT Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - China needs to boost domestic demand to stimulate economic growth, Du Ying, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's most powerful economic planner, said on Friday. Global markets were rife with speculation this week that China is about to unveil another round of fiscal stimulus to steady the world's No. 2 economy as Europe sinks deeper into its debt quagmire. ... Full Story Top Ex-Senator acquitted on campaign finance charge Thu,31 May 2012 07:15 PM PDT Reuters - GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - Former Senator John Edwards' affair and child out of wedlock derailed a political rise that put him on the Democrats' 2004 White House ticket, but the one-time trial lawyer held his head high on Thursday after a North Carolina jury delivered his most personal victory yet. Twelve jurors in the state Edwards represented in the U.S. Senate from 1999 to 2005 acquitted him on one count of accepting illegal campaign contributions given during his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination four years ago. U.S. ... Full Story Top Seattle shooting "hero" threw stools at gunman: police Thu,31 May 2012 06:55 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - When Ian Stawicki started shooting at a Seattle cafe in a spree rampage that would leave him and five others dead, one man stood up and tried to stop him by hurling coffeehouse stools at the gunman, police said on Thursday. A day after the shootings in the Cafe Racer, police said the actions of that man - whom they are not naming - ultimately saved three lives and were a bright spot in a violent series of events that ended when Stawicki shot himself in the head. ... Full Story Top Panetta urges aggressive international pressure on Syria Thu,31 May 2012 06:27 PM PDT Reuters - ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT (Reuters) - The U.S. military is prepared for any action against Syria that may be necessary, but officials are still focused on more aggressive international pressure to bring about the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Thursday. Panetta, speaking to reporters en route to Singapore for a security conference, stopped short of advocating U.S. action without the endorsement of the U.N. Security Council, but said the international community needed to act more aggressively to obtain Assad's ouster while there was time. ... Full Story Top Greek conservatives warn of euro exit nightmare Thu,31 May 2012 05:59 PM PDT Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - If Greece rejects the 130-billion-euro rescue package meant to dig it out of a debt crisis the country will be plunged into a nightmare that it cannot control, Greece's conservative leader Antonis Samaras said on Thursday. Samaras, whose New Democracy party has regained a tentative lead in polls ahead of a June 17 parliamentary election that may determine the country's future in the single currency, has often criticized the terms of the international bailout that saved Greece from bankruptcy. ... Full Story Top Putin attacks EU sanctions on Belarus visit Thu,31 May 2012 05:59 PM PDT Reuters - MINSK (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged moral support and new loans for Moscow's ex-Soviet ally Belarus on Thursday in his first foreign visit since taking office. The European Union has tightened sanctions against Belarus and withdrew ambassadors from Minsk in February over human rights violations. Relations improved after jailed opposition leader Andrei Sannikov was released. ... Full Story Top Irish govt sees EU treaty "Yes" vote ahead of count Thu,31 May 2012 05:59 PM PDT Reuters - DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland's referendum on the European Union's new fiscal treaty is likely to pass by a margin of more than three to two, saving Europe a major headache, two government sources told Reuters ahead of the counting of votes on Friday. While the German-led plan for stricter budget rules needs the approval of only 12 of the 17 euro zone countries to be ratified, an Irish rejection would undermine one of Europe's key initiatives just as problems mount in Spain and Greece. "It's safe to say it's a 'Yes' by more than a 60/40 margin," one of the sources said, citing polling data. ... Full Story Top Osborne files suit over EU short-selling rules - FT Thu,31 May 2012 05:58 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Chancellor George Osborne is suing the European Union over plans to ban the short-selling of financial products, arguing it would be overreaching its powers, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Thursday. Britain is at odds with much of the EU over financial regulations put forward by France but opposed by Prime Minister David Cameron on grounds that they would be crippling to London's financial industry. ... Full Story Top Queen announces Northern Ireland visit in advance for first time Thu,31 May 2012 05:08 PM PDT Reuters - BELFAST (Reuters) - Queen Elizabeth is to visit Northern Ireland next month, Buckingham Palace said on Thursday, the first time since the outbreak of sectarian violence in the 1960s that a trip there by the monarch has been announced in advance. The visit, part of the 86-year-old Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, raises the possibility of her first meeting with former guerrilla commander Martin McGuinness, once a leading figure in the Irish Republican Army who currently serves as the province's No. 2 official. ... Full Story Top Ministers backed Murdoch takeover - inquiry Thu,31 May 2012 05:08 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Cabinet ministers worked behind the scenes to support James Murdoch's bid to take over a pay-TV company, a public inquiry heard on Thursday, adding weight to opposition criticism of the government's ties to powerful media barons. The Leveson inquiry into relations between politicians and the press has shone a spotlight on the government's handling of News Corp's bid for BSkyB and whether Rupert Murdoch's media empire was able to promote its interests by influencing ministers. ... Full Story Top Judge hears challenge to 2004 NY police mass arrests Thu,31 May 2012 05:05 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City police did not have probable cause to justify mass arrests outside the 2004 Republican National Convention, lawyers for some of those detained told a U.S. judge on Thursday. In a crowded courtroom in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Judge Richard Sullivan heard oral arguments over cases that were filed over seven years ago and raised questions about police tactics well before the Occupy Wall Street movement. ... Full Story Top Judge hears challenge to 2004 NY police mass arrests Thu,31 May 2012 04:55 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City police did not have probable cause to justify mass arrests of protesters during the 2004 Republican National Convention, lawyers for some of those detained told a U.S. judge on Thursday. In a crowded courtroom in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Judge Richard Sullivan heard oral arguments over cases that were filed over seven years ago and raised questions about police tactics well before the Occupy Wall Street movement. ... Full Story Top California sued over conditions at prison's high-security unit Thu,31 May 2012 04:54 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A civil rights group sued the state of California and its prison system on Thursday, saying the long-term confinement of inmates in a special high-security unit at Pelican Bay State Prison amounted to torture and human rights violations. The lawsuit demands reforms and seeks class-action status for more than 500 current prisoners who have been held in the Special Housing Unit at the super-maximum-security prison in Northern California for between 10 and 28 years. ... Full Story Top Greek pro-bailout party leads leftists in surveys Thu,31 May 2012 04:53 PM PDT Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's pro-bailout New Democracy party had a lead of more than two points over the SYRIZA leftists in surveys published on Friday ahead of a June 17 national election that may decide the debt-laden country's future in the euro currency club. The result of the election - which could have far-reaching ramifications for the future of the 17-nation euro zone - remains finely balanced, as different polls in recent days have produced contradictory results. ... Full Story Top Putin attacks EU sanctions on Belarus visit Thu,31 May 2012 04:42 PM PDT Reuters - MINSK (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged moral support and new loans for Moscow's ex-Soviet ally Belarus on Thursday in his first foreign visit since taking office. The European Union has tightened sanctions against Belarus and withdrew ambassadors from Minsk in February over human rights violations. Relations improved after jailed opposition leader Andrei Sannikov was released. ... Full Story Top Talks to end Quebec student strike break down Thu,31 May 2012 04:36 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Talks broke down between Quebec's provincial government and student leaders on Thursday, scuttling a bid to settle a sometimes violent strike that started nearly four months ago. Quebec Premier Jean Charest said negotiations had been suspended because the parties were at an impasse. "Obviously we're disappointed," he said at a press conference in Quebec City. "Despite the fact that the talks were ... constructive, there is an important gap which separates the government and the student groups. ... Full Story Top Lockheed says Pentagon paperwork adds to overhead costs Thu,31 May 2012 04:33 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp, the biggest U.S. weapons maker, on Thursday pushed back against the Pentagon's demands for ever more cost data, saying the requests were adding to the very overhead the government wants to see lowered. Lockheed Chief Executive Bob Stevens said his company was working hard to drive down overhead, but the government's "should cost" initiative meant the company needed more people to generate thousands of pages of additional paperwork. ... Full Story Top Irish govt sees EU treaty "Yes" vote ahead of count Thu,31 May 2012 04:28 PM PDT Reuters - DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland's referendum on the European Union's new fiscal treaty is likely to pass by a margin of more than three to two, saving Europe a major headache, two government sources told Reuters ahead of the counting of votes on Friday. While the German-led plan for stricter budget rules needs the approval of only 12 of the 17 euro zone countries to be ratified, an Irish rejection would undermine one of Europe's key initiatives just as problems mount in Spain and Greece. "It's safe to say it's a 'Yes' by more than a 60/40 margin," one of the sources said, citing polling data. ... Full Story Top Money flies out of Spain, regions pressured Thu,31 May 2012 04:22 PM PDT Reuters - MADRID (Reuters) - Spaniards alarmed by the dire state of their banks are squirreling money abroad at the fastest rate since records began, figures showed on Thursday, and the credit ratings of eight regions were cut. Spain is the next country in the firing line of the euro zone's debt crisis, with spendthrift regions and shaky banks threatening to blow a hole in state finances and pushing funding costs towards levels that signal the need for a bailout. ... Full Story Top Osborne files suit over EU short-selling rules - FT Thu,31 May 2012 04:20 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Chancellor George Osborne is suing the European Union over plans to ban the short-selling of financial products, arguing it would be overreaching its powers, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Thursday. Britain is at odds with much of the EU over financial regulations put forward by France but opposed by Prime Minister David Cameron on grounds that they would be crippling to London's financial industry. ... Full Story Top Sudan to keep police in disputed Abyei region Thu,31 May 2012 04:20 PM PDT Reuters - KHARTOUM/ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Sudan will keep police forces in the disputed Abyei region bordering South Sudan for now, the state news agency SUNA said on Thursday, defying a call by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to withdraw. Abyei has been a main bone of contention between the African neighbors, which came close to all-out war last month when border fighting escalated, the worst violence since South Sudan seceded from Sudan in July. ... Full Story Top Sudan to keep police in disputed Abyei region Thu,31 May 2012 04:19 PM PDT Reuters - KHARTOUM/ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Sudan will keep police forces in the disputed Abyei region bordering South Sudan for now, the state news agency SUNA said on Thursday, defying a call by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to withdraw. Abyei has been a main bone of contention between the African neighbors, which came close to all-out war last month when border fighting escalated, the worst violence since South Sudan seceded from Sudan in July. ... Full Story Top Ex-Senator Edwards acquitted on campaign finance charge Thu,31 May 2012 04:18 PM PDT Reuters - GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - Former U.S. Senator John Edwards was acquitted on Thursday on one count of accepting illegal campaign contributions, and the judge declared a mistrial on five other counts because the jury was deadlocked. The jury's decision came on the ninth day of deliberations and marked yet another dramatic turn of events for the one-time politician who rose to become the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee in 2004, only to see his career ruined by scandal four years later. ... Full Story Top Jobs data points to recovery losing momentum Thu,31 May 2012 04:12 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Private payroll growth picked up only slightly in May and claims for jobless benefits rose last week, suggesting the U.S. labor market recovery was losing steam after a strong performance early in the year. Other data on Thursday showed factory activity in the Midwest slowed considerably in May and economic growth in the first quarter was a bit softer than initially estimated. Economists said the reports reflected business anxiety amid an uncertain global economic outlook as the euro zone's debt crisis escalates and China's economy slows. ... Full Story Top Insight: From a ferry, a Chinese fast-attack boat Thu,31 May 2012 04:06 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - It looked like a textbook win-win deal when Australian high-speed ferry designer AMD Marine Consulting formed a joint venture in 1993 with the engineering arm of a state-owned Chinese shipbuilder. The joint venture partner, Guangzhou Marine Engineering Corporation, a subsidiary of the giant China State Shipbuilding Corporation, gained access to state-of-the-art technology in wave-piercing, aluminum-hull designs. For AMD, a Sydney-based private company, the payoff was a foothold in China's maritime market during a period of rapid growth. ... Full Story Top Blind activist urges U.S. to push China on rule of law Thu,31 May 2012 04:01 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Blind Chinese rights activist Chen Guangcheng urged the United States on Thursday to "try harder" to promote rule of law in his homeland as he described his brother and nephew being so badly beaten in an attack he blamed on local officials that thick axe handles being used as weapons broke. ... Full Story Top Judge blocks part of "harsh" Florida voting law Thu,31 May 2012 03:48 PM PDT Reuters - MIAMI (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday declared a Florida election law "harsh and impractical" for requiring groups conducting voter registration drives to turn in registration forms within 48 hours of collecting them, and blocked enforcement of the deadline. The nonpartisan League of Women Voters and other groups had challenged the law, passed by Florida's Republican-controlled legislature last year and signed by Republican Governor Rick Scott with the stated intent of fighting voter fraud. ... Full Story Top U.S. tells Spain solution needed for troubled banks Thu,31 May 2012 03:43 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Spain that a solution is needed for its troubled financial system, Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria told reporters on Thursday. Saenz de Santamaria said she discussed with Geithner strategies to recapitalize her country's banks. "The treasury secretary pointed out that we are working toward the same goal and a solution for the banks must be found," she said after the meeting, adding that the strategies they discussed were also for other troubled European banks. ... Full Story Top U.S. national kidnapped in Benin is freed Thu,31 May 2012 03:36 PM PDT Reuters - COTONOU (Reuters) - Security forces in Benin on Thursday freed a U.S. citizen lured to the West African state last week by criminals he met on the Internet, Benin's interior ministry said. "The kidnappers are in the hands of the police," spokesman Frank Kinninvo said, adding that the U.S. national had been found in the Mono region of southwest Benin. A security source said the man had travelled to Benin to meet a group of people from Benin and neighboring Nigeria. ... Full Story Top Romney to submit personal financial statement on Friday Thu,31 May 2012 03:35 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is scheduled to deliver his latest personal financial disclosure statement to federal elections authorities on Friday, government and campaign sources said. The financial statement, which last year ran to 28 pages, is expected to show that Romney sold "nearly all" his holdings in individual stocks since last year. Instead, he moved substantial wealth into cash, according to an analysis posted earlier this month on the Forbes.com website. ... Full Story Top JPMorgan not triggering major regulatory rethink Thu,31 May 2012 03:28 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bank regulators are holding daily, high-level calls to try to understand how a seemingly low-risk unit at JPMorgan was able to amass a $2 billion trading loss, but there are no immediate plans to revamp how the nation's largest banks are supervised, according to a source familiar with the matter. Regulators have come under scrutiny for not raising red flags earlier about the massive hedging strategy that went awry, despite having more than 100 examiners embedded at JPMorgan Chase & Co. ... Full Story Top Senate contender Warren denies using ethnicity for unfair gain Thu,31 May 2012 03:27 PM PDT Reuters - BOSTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren has acknowledged for the first time she told two prestigious law schools she had a Native American heritage but disputed suggestions that she used her ethnicity to help gain employment at the universities. The Democrat later lashed out at Republican Scott Brown, who she is expected to face in the tight race for the U.S. Senate seat for Massachusetts in November, for impugning her parents' truthfulness on the topic of her lineage. "I let people know about my Native American heritage in a national directory of law school personnel. ... Full Story Top FARC ready for peace or war, says French reporter Thu,31 May 2012 03:24 PM PDT Reuters - BOGOTA (Reuters) - Looking relaxed and healthy after a month in jungle captivity, French journalist Romeo Langlois said Colombia's FARC rebel leaders may be prepared for peace talks, but younger fighters are ready for 50 more years of war. Langlois, 35, was released on Wednesday after being taken hostage in late April when the military unit he was reporting alongside came under fire from heavily armed rebels. Aided by billions of dollars in U.S. funding, Colombia's armed forces have debilitated the FARC, leaving it arguably at its weakest in almost five decades. ... Full Story Top Obama urged to threaten aid to Mexico over tuna labels Thu,31 May 2012 03:22 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of U.S. Democratic lawmakers on Thursday urged President Barack Obama to threaten Mexico with cuts in economic assistance if the southern neighbor continues to pursue a trade case that has put U.S. "dolphin-safe" tuna labels at risk. "We urge your administration to make clear the U.S. will not water down or eliminate the very successful dolphin-safe labeling region," the lawmakers said in a letter to Obama. ... Full Story Top Gamesmanship abounds as Obama, Romney campaigns duel over jobs Thu,31 May 2012 03:20 PM PDT Reuters - BOSTON/FREMONT, California (Reuters) - The campaigns of President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney took their political gamesmanship up a notch on Thursday, with dueling events that featured raucous heckling, a secret trip for reporters and symbolic backdrops that reflected the increasing intensity of the tight race for the White House. Obama's chief strategist David Axelrod invaded Romney's home turf, blasting the Republican's record as Massachusetts governor at an appearance in Boston where Axelrod frequently was interrupted by an organized crowd of heckling Romney supporters. ... Full Story Top U.N. Security Council concerned by lack of aid access in Sudan Thu,31 May 2012 03:18 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council expressed concern on Thursday over a lack of access for aid to Sudan's border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, where fighting has been raging between the Sudanese army and rebels. Sudan and South Sudan came close to all-out war last month when border fighting escalated in the worst violence since South Sudan's secession in July. Khartoum accuses Juba of supporting rebels in South Kordofan and Blue Nile. Juba denies the claim. The 15-member Security Council was briefed by senior U.N. ... Full Story Top U.S. prosecutor in Swiss tax probe to exit Thu,31 May 2012 03:00 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - The U.S. prosecutor most responsible for piercing the veil of Swiss bank secrecy has resigned, but tax experts said his exit was unlikely to slow Justice Department efforts to rein in American offshore tax evasion there. Kevin Downing, 46, who for several years has led the department's criminal probe of the Swiss banking industry, will leave effective June 4 to become a partner at a major law firm, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday. ... Full Story Top Russian protest fund manager looks to elite for cash Thu,31 May 2012 02:59 PM PDT Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Almost a decade after Russia's richest man was jailed after funding groups opposed to Vladimir Putin, a former top bank manager is chipping at the wall between politics and business in a renewed challenge to the Russian president. With his Wharton Business School degree and expensive suits, Vladimir Ashurkov, 40, cuts an unlikely figure within the rag-tag ranks of Russia's political opposition. ... Full Story Top Lawmakers tell Obama to rein in energy exports Thu,31 May 2012 02:48 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama must crack down on energy exports from the United States to protect consumers and manufacturers from price spikes, two influential Democrats said on Thursday. Obama needs to use his authority to limit exports of natural gas, as well as coal and petroleum products, and lay out a framework for assessing whether such exports are in the national interest, Congressman Edward Markey and Senator Ron Wyden said in a letter to the president. ... Full Story Top

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