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| Myanmar foreign investment bill in parliament again Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 08:56 PM PDT YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's new foreign investment bill was with parliament on Thursday, after amendments to address concerns of foreign firms eager to enter the country, and it could be quickly approved and sent to the president to be signed into law, lawmakers said. The bill has passed back and forth between the legislative and executive branches since March in a tussle involving a government eager to attract foreign investment, tycoons determined to protect their monopolies, and small businesses keen not to be shut out. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. power market watchdog seeks record $470 million from Barclays Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 08:54 PM PDT  (Advisory: Contains language that may offend in paragraph seven) WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. regulators threatened to fine Barclays roughly $470 million to settle allegations that the bank and four traders manipulated California electricity markets, reviving the specter of a sector-wide crackdown on energy trading. It could possibly be the biggest penalty ever levied by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and potentially exceeds the fine Barclays paid over the Libor bid-rigging scandal that cost Chief Executive Robert Diamond his job. ... Full Story | Top |
| With eye on 2013 midterms, Argentina cuts voting age to 16 Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 08:50 PM PDT  BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina lowered its voting age to 16 from 18 on Wednesday, a change that could help politically ailing President Cristina Fernandez court the youth vote ahead of 2013 mid-term elections. Dozens of opposition members of the lower house of Congress walked out of the rancorous late-night session just before the measure won final approval by a vote of 131 to 2. Fernandez, who polls well among younger voters, has not ruled out a bid by her supporters to change the constitution to allow her to run for a third term in 2015. ... Full Story | Top |
| Expect feisty defense from China's disgraced Bo Xilai Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 08:48 PM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - Disgraced former top Chinese politician Bo Xilai can be expected to mount a feisty defense of himself when he finally comes to trial, but a guilty verdict is not in doubt, a lawyer who had a front seat at China's last major show trial said. Zhang Sizhi was defense lawyer for Mao Zedong's widow, Jiang Qing, leader of the "Gang of Four" that wielded supreme power during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. She was given a suspended death sentence in 1981 for the deaths of tens of thousands during that period of chaos. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Biggest civil penalties by U.S. energy regulator FERC Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 08:41 PM PDT (Reuters) - U.S. federal energy regulators have threatened to fine London-based Barclays about $470 million to settle claims that the bank and its traders manipulated California energy markets, in the largest proposed fine from the agency since 2005. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Office of Enforcement staff alleged Barclays engaged in a coordinated scheme to manipulate trading at four electricity trading points in the western United States from November 2006 to December 2008. In an order issued Wednesday, FERC said Barclays has 30 days to show why the bank should not be penalized. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. eases clean gasoline rules in East after Sandy Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 08:07 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. environmental regulator waived clean gasoline requirements through November 20 on the eastern seaboard to help ease a supply crunch after Hurricane Sandy ripped across the region's energy system. "I have determined that an 'extreme and unusual fuel supply circumstance' exists that will prevent the distribution of an adequate supply of gasoline to consumers," Lisa Jackson, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, said in a letter on Wednesday to governors of the states. ... Full Story | Top |
| China launches trade probes on EU solar products Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 07:50 PM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Thursday that it will launch anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into imported European Union solar-grade polysilicon, in the latest instance of tit-for-tat trade tensions in the global solar industry. China's Commerce Ministry said in two statements posted to its website that it would roll the investigations into ongoing probes of U.S. and South Korean made solar products. ... Full Story | Top |
| Flood ebbs, Northeast picks up after epic storm Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 07:42 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City and the sodden U.S. Northeast began an arduous journey back to normal on Wednesday after mammoth storm Sandy killed at least 64 people in a rampage that swamped coastal cities and cut power to millions. Financial markets reopened with the New York Stock Exchange running on generator power after the first weather-related two-day closure since an 1888 blizzard. Packed buses took commuters to work with New York's subway system idle after seawater flooded its tunnels. ... Full Story | Top |
| Texas executes man who murdered girlfriend over money Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 07:13 PM PDT AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A man convicted of fatally shooting his live-in girlfriend in 2003 after she refused to give him money was executed in Texas on Wednesday by lethal injection, said state officials. Donnie Lee Roberts, 41, became the 35th person executed in the United States this year and the 12th in Texas. He was pronounced dead at 6:39 p.m. local time at the state prison in Huntsville, the state Department of Criminal Justice. Just before he died, Roberts apologized, officials said. "I am truly sorry," they quoted him as saying. "I never meant to cause y'all so much pain. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fuel spills into waterway between New Jersey and Staten Island Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 06:29 PM PDT (Reuters) - An unknown amount of fuel spilled from a northern New Jersey oil facility that had been closed due to Sandy, the storm that battered the U.S. Northeast, the site's operator said on Wednesday. Motiva, a joint venture of Shell Oil and Saudi Refining, said the spill occurred at its Sewaren, New Jersey, facility, along the Arthur Kill, the tidal waterway separating New Jersey from Staten Island, New York. "No injuries have occurred and there has been no further product released since the initial event. ... Full Story | Top |
| Top former Dominican anti-drug official arrested on drug charges Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 05:46 PM PDT SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (Reuters) - - Authorities in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday arrested a former police colonel accused of being a "powerful drug trafficker" responsible for sending tons of cocaine to the United States. Francisco Hiraldo Guerrero, chief operating officer of the country's main counter-drug agency, the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD), between 2006-2008, would be extradited to the United States where he faces four counts of drug trafficking in the Southern District of New York, the government said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Green Party presidential hopeful arrested in pipeline protest Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 05:36 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein was arrested in Texas on Wednesday for criminal trespass when she tried to bring food and other supplies to protesters opposed to the Keystone XL pipeline, a local official said. Ty Oaks, a corrections officer at the Wood County jail, said Stein, 62, was released after she promised to return to appear in court on the trespass charge. Oaks did not know when Stein's court date would be. Calls to the Green Party, an environment-oriented left-leaning party, requesting comment on Stein's arrest were not immediately returned. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mexico poised to charge police officers in U.S. ambush Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 05:17 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico said on Wednesday it was close to charging police officers with deliberately targeting two U.S. agents in an August attack that caused serious embarrassment to the Mexican government. Security officials identified the men as CIA agents, and Mexican investigators have said the attack may have been carried out by corrupt police working with drug gangs. The incident, which police first blamed on a case of mistaken identity, was the worst attack against U.S. officials in Mexico since drug gang hit men killed a U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama front and center in storm crisis as Romney subdued Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 05:14 PM PDT  ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (Reuters) - In a close and bitterly fought campaign for president, it was a day of contrasts: President Barack Obama joined New Jersey's Republican governor to tour storm-ravaged areas, while election rival Mitt Romney was relegated to a subdued day of rallies in Florida. The devastation wrought by mammoth storm Sandy allowed Obama to project an image of a president in charge at a time of crisis. Tied in polls six days before the election, he is fighting to gain an edge over Republican Romney whose recent momentum may be slowing. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sri Lanka hampers legal redress for rights abuses: ICJ Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 05:02 PM PDT GENEVA (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's government has made it all but impossible for victims of human rights abuses to get justice, a Geneva-based human rights body that monitors legal matters said on Thursday. The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), grouping 60 prominent judges and lawyers from around the world, said the judiciary in Sri Lanka was under increasing attack and its independence was threatened. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bush-era trade deal with Panama goes into force Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 04:55 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. free trade agreement with Panama went into force on Wednesday, five years after it was originally negotiated, opening the way for increased U.S. exports as the Central American country continues its canal expansion project. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a statement, called enactment of the agreement an "historic milestone" that adds to existing U.S. free trade agreements in the Western Hemisphere with Canada, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and five Central American countries. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. resisting African calls to end Somalia arms embargo Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 04:53 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday gave the African Union's peacekeeping mission in Somalia a seven-day extension while its 15 members weigh an African Union request to review a two-decade old arms embargo to help the government defeat Islamist rebels. U.N. diplomats said that the council remained divided on the union's request to begin allowing the sale of arms to the Somali government. It is also split on calls to permit the export of stocks of charcoal, the Islamist al Shabaab rebels' principal source of funds, from the war-ravaged Horn of Africa nation. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. Security Council relocates due to storm damage: envoys Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 04:53 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council was forced to relocate on Wednesday for a meeting on Somalia and other issues because of extensive water damage to parts of the United Nations complex from the storm Sandy, U.N. officials and diplomats said. It was not immediately clear how badly the U.N. buildings were damaged by the storm. The U.N. press office sent a statement to reporters announcing that the U.N. headquarters would reopen Thursday after a three-day closure and outlining which areas would be accessible. The statement also said senior U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House won't oppose new challenge to 2010 healthcare law Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 04:49 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Wednesday cleared the way for the U.S. Supreme Court to revive a lawsuit that challenges the 2010 healthcare overhaul on religious grounds, including a claim that it helps fund abortions. Liberty University, a Christian college in Lynchburg, Virginia, had challenged the individual mandate, which required Americans to obtain insurance by 2014 or pay a penalty, and a mandate requiring big employers to provide coverage for workers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Trick or treat? Biden kids about a 2016 run Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 04:43 PM PDT  SARASOTA, Florida (Reuters) - For his political opponents, Vice President Joe Biden might have been playing a trick, but for some of his ardent supporters, he could have been dispensing a special treat on Halloween: mentioning on Wednesday a possible run for president in 2016. After a rally in Sarasota, Biden swung by Station 400, a train station-turned-restaurant filled with many who had cast their votes already for him and President Barack Obama. One woman said her brother had just watched the film "2016," which lashes Democrat Obama, and said he would vote Republican. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. power market regulator seeks $470 million from Barclays Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 04:38 PM PDT  (Reuters) - U.S. federal energy regulators threatened to fine Barclays roughly $470 million to settle allegations that the bank and four traders manipulated California energy markets from November 2006 to December 2008. In a potentially record penalty that could eclipse fines over rigging the inter-bank lending rate known as Libor, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Barclays has 30 days to show why it should not be penalized for an alleged scheme of manipulating physical electricity markets in order to benefit from related positions in the swaps market. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kuwaitis protest after activist held for insulting emir Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 04:38 PM PDT KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwaiti police used teargas and smoke bombs on Wednesday to disperse thousands of protesters marching on a prison where an opposition leader is being held on charges of insulting the emir, witnesses said. The unrest comes amid rising tension caused by changes to the election law which the opposition had condemned as an attempt to give pro-government candidates an advantage in parliamentary elections on December 1. The opposition are boycotting the poll. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York state asks Washington to cover all storm costs Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 04:37 PM PDT NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New York state on Wednesday asked the U.S. federal government to pay all the costs of cleaning up and repairing damage from massive storm Sandy that tore through the Northeast this week and crippled New York City. Governor Andrew Cuomo said he is asking fellow Democrat, President Barack Obama, to pay 100 percent of the estimated $6 billion bill, at a time that state and local government budgets remain constrained by a weak economic recovery. That would be a significant change from last year when the federal government covered about 75 percent of the $1. ... Full Story | Top |
| France, Britain set stage for EU budget wrangling Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 04:27 PM PDT  BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron came under pressure to act tough on the European Union budget and France threatened to use its veto, signaling a divisive start to bargaining over the 1 trillion euro ($1.3 trillion) long-term spending plan. Wednesday's warning from Paris echoed similar threats from Denmark and Britain, where Cameron suffered a humiliating defeat in parliament after Conservatives rebelled over Europe, an issue that has long divided his party. ... Full Story | Top |
| Myanmar must protect Muslims and halt discrimination: U.N. Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 04:19 PM PDT  GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. human rights investigators called on Myanmar on Wednesday to halt deadly sectarian violence and warned it not to use the conflict as a pretext to remove Rohingya minority Muslims. Some 89 people have been killed in clashes between Buddhist Rakhines and Muslim Rohingyas in western Myanmar in the past 10 days, according to the latest official toll. "This situation must not become an opportunity to permanently remove an unwelcome community," said a joint statement issued by Tomas Ojea Quintana, U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York's Bellevue Hospital evacuates about 500 patients Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 03:58 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City's Bellevue Hospital Center, which has been operating on backup generators since massive storm Sandy pummeled the city, is being evacuated, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Wednesday. About 500 patients at the city hospital near the East River in Manhattan are affected. Bellevue has one of the busiest emergency departments in the city. Several area hospitals, including The Mount Sinai Hospital and St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center, have agreed to take some of Bellevue's patients. ... Full Story | Top |
| Poll shows Democrat Baldwin leading Wisconsin U.S. Senate race Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 03:56 PM PDT  MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Wisconsin Democratic Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin could make history next week as the first openly gay member of the U.S. Senate, according to the final poll before the November 6 election released on Wednesday by the Marquette University Law school. The poll showed Baldwin had a 47 to 43 percent lead among likely voters over Republican former governor Tommy Thompson, with 10 percent undecided or offering no preference. Two weeks ago, Thompson lead Baldwin 46 to 45 percent. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate likely to revisit cyber bill when Congress returns Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 03:50 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hopes to reintroduce cyber security legislation opposed by business groups once lawmakers return after Tuesday's election, a Senate aide said, adding that a White House executive order might pave the way for a compromise on the bill. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mormon missionary applications surge after age rules lowered Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 03:30 PM PDT SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - The Mormon Church's decision to lower its age requirements for missionaries, who travel the world in pairs trying to convert people to their religion, has prompted a sharp spike in the number of young people clamoring to serve the faith. Mormonism has been gaining broad public attention recently from its association with Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidate, who served as a missionary in France and has talked about his work as a pastor in the Mormon Church. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama, Republican Christie tour storm-hit New Jersey, trade praise Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 03:18 PM PDT  ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (Reuters) - Putting aside partisan differences, President Barack Obama and Republican Governor Chris Christie toured storm-stricken parts of New Jersey on Wednesday, taking in scenes of flooded roads and praising each other for their response to superstorm Sandy. Riding in the Marine One presidential helicopter, Obama and Christie got an aerial view of some of the hardest-hit areas of the New Jersey shoreline, and afterward the president promised to cut through red tape to help storm victims. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chicago's Cook County drops bullet tax, keeps gun levy Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 03:11 PM PDT CHICAGO (Reuters) - The senior executive of the county that includes Chicago dropped a proposed tax on bullets on Wednesday but kept a plan to tax firearms to help defray healthcare expenses associated with the high rate of gun. "It is very important to us to tax guns because we know that guns are the sources of the incredible violence we have in our neighborhoods," Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle told a news conference. She said 29 percent of guns used in crimes in Chicago were purchased legally in suburban Cook County. ... Full Story | Top |
| Huge drug recall latest fallout in deadly meningitis outbreak Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 03:04 PM PDT BOSTON (Reuters) - Ameridose, a sister company of the U.S. pharmacy linked to a meningitis outbreak that has killed 29 people, announced on Wednesday a voluntary recall of all its products, a move to cooperate with regulators that could nevertheless create shortages of some drugs. In particular, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a number of hospitals are concerned about the availability of several drugs for which Ameridose has been a major supplier, including those given as shots or intravenous drips or used during surgery. ... Full Story | Top |
| Race tight in four states, Obama holds slight edge: Reuters/Ipsos poll Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 02:51 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney are neck and neck in four of the most hotly contested states in next week's election, but Obama holds a slight advantage in two of them, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday. The online survey of four battleground states showed Obama leading by 3 percentage points in Ohio and 2 points in Virginia. The two are dead even in Florida, and Romney leads by 1 percentage point in Colorado. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York commuters walk, bike and fume amid post-Sandy snarls Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 02:40 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City commuters endured hours-long bus trips and bumper-to-bumper traffic on Wednesday as the city struggled to fix a crippled subway system and get back to business in the wake of mega-storm Sandy. Even with many people staying home for a third consecutive day, New York-area commuters grappled with clogged streets. Some bicycled to work. Some walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. Others gave up altogether and turned back home after waiting in vain for packed buses to take on more passengers. "There's a lot of irritation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Romney limits attacks on Obama as U.S. recovers from Sandy Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 02:29 PM PDT  CORAL GABLES, Florida (Reuters) - Presidential candidate Mitt Romney held back from his usual attacks on President Barack Obama on Wednesday with the East Coast reeling from storm Sandy, but the positive tone did not extend to other Republican speakers at his events. As Obama traveled to New Jersey to survey the damage with Republican Governor Chris Christie, Romney staged a show of strength in Florida, where polls give him a narrow edge in the most populous swing state. He appeared with two of the state's most popular politicians, Senator Marco Rubio and former Governor Jeb Bush. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK lawmakers to grill Starbucks, Amazon and Google on tax Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 02:25 PM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - A UK parliamentary committee has invited executives from Starbucks Corp, Google Inc and Amazon.com Inc to answer questions about their tax practices, which allow them to make significant sales in the UK, but pay little tax here. The Public Accounts Committee asked senior officials from the companies to address a hearing on November 5, but a spokesman said scheduling problems could mean the hearing might be held later in November. He said none of the companies had declined to attend in principle. ... Full Story | Top |
| Potash eyes ICL takeover as a road to China, India Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 02:22 PM PDT JERUSALEM/WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Potash Corp , the world's No. 1 fertilizer producer, is ramping up efforts to buy Israel Chemicals Ltd so it can shore up its leverage with China and India, top consuming countries that are expected to drive much of the industry's growth. Although a deal is likely a long way off, acquiring ICL , the world's sixth-largest fertilizer producer, would give Canada's Potash Corp better shipping access to China, India and other Asian economies. Rising Asian incomes and populations are expected to trigger greater fertilizer use to produce more food. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. grants clean gasoline waiver to 16 states in Sandy's wake Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 02:19 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. environmental regulator temporarily waived clean gasoline requirements through November 20 for 16 states on the eastern seaboard including New York and New Jersey to help ease a supply crunch after super storm Sandy hit the region. "I have determined that an 'extreme and unusual fuel supply circumstance' exists that will prevent the distribution of an adequate supply of gasoline to consumers," Lisa Jackson, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, said in a letter on Wednesday to governors of the states. ... Full Story | Top |
| Beyond debate, Pennsylvania's in play Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 02:15 PM PDT DOYLESTOWN, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - A new poll released on Wednesday is the latest indication that Pennsylvania, which has not voted Republican in a presidential race since 1988, could do so again next week. In one month, an 11-percentage-point lead held by President Barack Obama has dwindled to 4 points, according to a survey by Franklin and Marshall College's Center for Opinion Research. While few are predicting a Romney victory, the state is now in play, with its haul of 20 electoral votes, two more than Ohio. ... Full Story | Top |
| Massachusetts treasurer blasts federal online-gambling bill Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 02:14 PM PDT (Reuters) - Massachusetts' state treasurer on Wednesday blasted an online-gambling bill backed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, saying the proposed federal law threatened the Massachusetts lottery that last year yielded nearly $1 billion in profits. Steven Grossman, who is also chair of his state's Lottery Commission, said in a letter to Reid and co-sponsor Republican Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona that the bill sharply limits states' abilities to regulate online gambling inside their borders. ... Full Story | Top |
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