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| Border agents in radio contact before fatal shooting: report Friday, Nov 02, 2012 07:55 PM PDT  PHOENIX (Reuters) - A probe into the killing of a Border Patrol agent in an apparent "friendly fire" death has revealed he was in radio contact with other agents on the scene before the fatal shooting last month in southern Arizona, local media reported. A report on Friday from the Cochise County Sheriff's Office said agent Nicholas Ivie and two fellow agents involved in the pre-dawn incident were responding to a tripped sensor near the U.S.-Mexico border, Phoenix television station ABC15 said on its website. ... Full Story | Top |
| Anger grows over fuel shortage in storm-hit Northeast Friday, Nov 02, 2012 07:17 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tempers frayed in long gas lines and millions were still without electricity across the Northeast on Friday as the death toll from superstorm Sandy hit 102 and crews searched for more victims in devastated communities in New York and New Jersey. The U.S. government moved to ease the fuel crunch by tapping strategic reserves and buying millions of gallons of gasoline and diesel to be trucked to storm-damaged areas. With the U.S. presidential election four days away, television and newspaper images of angry storm victims could affect the campaign. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama, Romney take aim at key Midwestern swing states Friday, Nov 02, 2012 06:34 PM PDT  HILLIARD, Ohio (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney made late pitches in the political battlegrounds of the upper Midwest on Friday, a region likely to decide the winner in next week's closely fought election for the White House. In dueling campaign appearances in the swing states of Ohio and Wisconsin, the two contenders battled over the economy on a day when the government reported the jobless rate ticked up to 7.9 percent in October but that employers stepped up their hiring. ... Full Story | Top |
| Surveillance photo flushes out forgetful California lottery winner Friday, Nov 02, 2012 06:19 PM PDT SAN BERNARDINO, California (Reuters) - The belatedly crowned winner of a $23 million California lottery jackpot says she had stuffed the lucky ticket in her car and left it there forgotten for months, until a surveillance camera photo of the ticket's purchase surfaced on the Internet. Only when she recognized her daughter in the picture, which state lottery officials had publicly circulated in a desperate attempt to locate the missing winner, did Julie Cervera, 69, realize to her amazement that she was a multimillionaire. ... Full Story | Top |
| Uganda says to pull out troops from Somalia over Congo charges Friday, Nov 02, 2012 06:09 PM PDT KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda will tell the United Nations it is withdrawing its forces from military operations in Somalia and other regional hotspots after the world body accused it of supporting Congolese rebels, the security minister said on Friday. Minister Wilson Mukasa said the decision was irreversible and another Cabinet minister would explain Uganda's position at the United Nations in New York. However, it was not immediately clear if an irrevocable decision had been taken. U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chicago's Cook County OKs gun tax to defray costs of violence Friday, Nov 02, 2012 06:06 PM PDT CHICAGO (Reuters) - The county that includes Chicago approved a tax on firearms on Friday to help pay healthcare costs from gun violence, making it what is believed to be the first major U.S. metropolitan area to enact such a levy as a form of gun control. The Cook County Board of Commissioners voted 9-7 to impose a $25 tax on each firearm sold. The tax is expected to raise $600,000 in revenue in 2013. With the vote, the nation's third most populous county, with nearly 5.2 million residents, becomes the first large U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chicago's Emanuel faces new clash with teachers on school closings Friday, Nov 02, 2012 05:58 PM PDT  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is headed for another clash in coming months with unionized teachers over whether to close dozens of schools, after a bitter teachers strike temporarily shut down the nation's third largest public school district in September. Facing a December 1 deadline to issue a proposed list of schools to be closed, new Chicago Public Schools chief executive Barbara Byrd-Bennett on Friday asked the state legislature for a four-month delay until March 31. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. jury awards troops $85 million over Iraq chemical exposure Friday, Nov 02, 2012 05:50 PM PDT PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) - An Oregon jury awarded 12 Army National Guardsmen $85 million in damages from defense contractor KBR Inc. on Friday after finding that the company failed to protect them from exposure to cancer-causing chemicals when they served in Iraq. Each Guard soldier was awarded $850,000 in non-economic damages and another $6.25 million in punitive damages for "reckless and outrageous indifference" to their health in the trial in U.S. District Court in Portland. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York cancels Sunday marathon in wake of deadly storm Friday, Nov 02, 2012 05:37 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg abruptly reversed course and canceled Sunday's marathon, a beloved annual race that had become a lightning rod for people frustrated by the disastrous aftermath of megastorm Sandy. The decision on Friday came after a growing number of storm victims, some runners, and other politicians criticized Bloomberg's decision earlier in the week to go forward with the marathon, one of the world's most popular sporting events. ... Full Story | Top |
| UPDATE 3-New York cancels Sunday marathon in wake of deadly storm Friday, Nov 02, 2012 05:35 PM PDT * Some had protested race would detract from recovery effort * Marathon put off until 2013; reaction among runners mixed (Adds details) NEW YORK, Nov 2 (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg abruptly reversed course and canceled Sunday's marathon, a beloved annual race that had become a lightning rod for people frustrated by the disastrous aftermath of megastorm Sandy. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. investigators to get access to Benghazi suspect Friday, Nov 02, 2012 05:10 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Authorities in Tunisia have agreed to allow FBI investigators access to a detained Islamic militant suspected of playing a role in the September 11 attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya, U.S. officials said on Friday. Under an arrangement worked out between Tunisian and U.S. officials, American investigators will be allowed to interview Ali Ani al Harzi under the supervision of Tunisian officials. The arrangement was first made public in a written statement issued on Friday by two Republican U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Affiliate of US meningitis-linked firm extends shutdown Friday, Nov 02, 2012 04:47 PM PDT BOSTON (Reuters) - Ameridose LLC, sister company to the pharmacy at the heart of a meningitis outbreak in the United States, agreed on Friday to extend its closure by two weeks while state and federal investigators continue to examine its facilities. The company will remain closed until November 19, according to an agreement between Ameridose and Massachusetts regulators, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters. Ameridose has the same owners as the New England Compounding Center (NECC), which distributed a tainted steroid used for back pain that has killed 28 people in the meningitis outbreak. ... Full Story | Top |
| While Romney didn't serve in military, many Mormons do Friday, Nov 02, 2012 04:09 PM PDT  WASHINGTON/SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - While neither of the candidates in next week's presidential election was in the military, Mitt Romney's age - he was eligible to serve in Vietnam - has raised questions during the campaign about why he didn't serve and whether his Mormon faith had anything to do with it. Guy Hicks, a Mormon and former officer in the Army Reserve Special Forces, said there is a public misperception that members of the Mormon Church do not serve in the military. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Paul Ryan, Republican vice presidential candidate Friday, Nov 02, 2012 04:08 PM PDT (Reuters) - Representative Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's vice presidential candidate in the 2012 election, is a "young gun" out of the Republican Party's more conservative wing. Here are key facts about Ryan. - Ryan, 42, a rising star among the fiscal conservatives who dominate the Republican Party, has served seven terms in the House of Representatives since first being elected in 1998 on a platform opposing tax hikes and espousing gun rights. ... Full Story | Top |
| Economists say jobs data to have little impact on U.S. elections: Reuters poll Friday, Nov 02, 2012 04:08 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stronger-than-expected hiring by U.S. employers in October and a small increase in the jobless rate will have a neutral or insignificant impact on U.S. presidential elections next week, according to most economists surveyed in a Reuters poll on Friday. Twenty-four economists said the payrolls data would have a "neutral" impact on next Tuesday's elections, while 15 said the data would have an insignificant impact. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boeing wins $4 billion contract for Saudi fighter jet fleet Friday, Nov 02, 2012 04:03 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing Co has secured a contract valued at $4 billion to modernize the Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force's fighter jet fleet, the Pentagon said on Friday. The procurement order covers conversion of 68 existing F15S jets to the new F15S-A configuration. The Pentagon said the work, expected to be completed by December 31, 2019, would be done at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. The contract also provides for four base stand-up kits, which include spares and support equipment needed to achieve operating capability for the fighter jets. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Vice President Joe Biden Friday, Nov 02, 2012 03:48 PM PDT (Reuters) - Joe Biden spent 36 years in the U.S. Senate, served four years as Barack Obama's vice president and twice ran unsuccessfully for president. His chatty, off-the-cuff nature led to some memorable gaffes. Here are some key facts about Biden. - Biden, 69, grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware, in a middle-class family. Occasional financial hardships while he was young gave him a good ear for the concerns of blue-collar workers. ... Full Story | Top |
| UPDATE 2-New York cancels Sunday marathon in wake of deadly storm Friday, Nov 02, 2012 03:38 PM PDT * Mayor Bloomberg reverses earlier decision on famed race * Some people had protested race in light of storm damage (Adds reaction, quotes) NEW YORK, Nov 2 (Reuters) - New York City canceled its annual marathon on Friday, reversing Mayor Michael Bloomberg's earlier decision to go forward with Sunday's race, as it had become a lightning rod for residents frustrated by the disastrous aftermath of megastorm Sandy. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Mitt Romney, Republican presidential candidate Friday, Nov 02, 2012 03:38 PM PDT (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, is pursuing the White House for the second time. Here are key facts about him. - Romney, 65, espouses traditional Republican positions to cut taxes, reduce federal regulations, shrink government spending and bolster the U.S. military. He vows to create 12 million new jobs in his first term with a plan focused on domestic energy development, expanded free trade, improving education, reducing the deficit and championing small business. ... Full Story | Top |
| Unilever swaps earnings rat race for sustainability Friday, Nov 02, 2012 03:19 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Around the time of the 2008 global financial meltdown, consumer products giant Unilever decided to make a dramatic shift in strategy, away from meeting investors' quarterly expectations to a long-range plan that treads lightly on the environment and supports social goals. Confident in profiting through doing good, the Anglo-Dutch maker of Dove soap, Ragu sauces and Lipton tea is working with the United Nations to save children's lives through handwashing and joining other corporations to stem illegal logging, among other things. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea says proud of its human rights record Friday, Nov 02, 2012 03:12 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - North Korea's U.N. delegation declared on Friday that it was proud of Pyongyang's social system and human rights record and rejected as baseless a U.N. monitor's report that described appalling human rights abuses in the reclusive country. Pyongyang was reacting to a report to the U.N. General Assembly's Third Committee, which focuses on rights issues, from U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea Marzuki Darusman that described "a wide range of human rights violations. ... Full Story | Top |
| Higher bond for former Penn State officials in sex abuse scandal Friday, Nov 02, 2012 03:02 PM PDT HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - A judge on Friday ordered two former Penn State University officials embroiled in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal to post $50,000 in added bond money each after they were charged with additional crimes. Tim Curley, 58, the former Athletic Director, and Gary Schultz, 63, a former athletic department finance official, were charged on Thursday with additional crimes for what Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly called "a conspiracy of silence" in the Sandusky matter. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: How the Electoral College works Friday, Nov 02, 2012 02:56 PM PDT (Reuters) - The Electoral College was established in the Constitution as a compromise between electing a president by a vote in Congress and by popular vote of citizens. Here are some facts about the Electoral College: * The Electoral College, which is not a place but a process, consists of 538 electors. To win the presidency, a candidate must win at least 270 electors. * The number of electors equals the number of lawmakers in Congress - 435 in the House of Representatives and 100 in the Senate, plus three for the District of Columbia. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian dissident pushes to unite fragmented opposition Friday, Nov 02, 2012 02:29 PM PDT AMMAN (Reuters) - The fragmented Syrian opposition will attempt once again this weekend to forge a common policy to gain international respect, obtain weapons and, most importantly, topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a formerly imprisoned dissident said. "An alternative to the regime is dearly needed," said Riad Seif, a liberal politician who is battling cancer and managed to leave Syria only a few months ago after having been imprisoned. ... Full Story | Top |
| NYC Marathon will be cancelled -- city official Friday, Nov 02, 2012 02:21 PM PDT WASHINGTON, Nov 2 (Reuters) - The New York City Marathon, one of the premier U.S. distance-running events, will not take place as planned on Sunday, a New York city official said. City officials and the organizers of the marathon have been under pressure to cancel the event as the Northeast struggles to recover from heavy flooding and power outages caused by superstorm Sandy. (Reporting by Mark Hosenball; Editing by Jackie Frank) Full Story | Top |
| Chicago's Cook County is first metro area to levy gun tax Friday, Nov 02, 2012 02:19 PM PDT CHICAGO (Reuters) - The county that includes Chicago on Friday approved a tax on firearms to help pay the healthcare costs from gun violence, the first major U.S. metropolitan area to impose such a tax as a form of gun control. Under the plan, Cook County, Illinois, will impose a $25 tax on each firearm sold. The tax is expected to raise $600,000 in revenue in 2013. With Friday's vote, the nation's third most populous county with nearly 5.2 million residents becomes the first major U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mars rover still sniffing for elusive methane Friday, Nov 02, 2012 02:19 PM PDT  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Nov 2 - Initial analysis of the atmosphere of Mars from NASA's rover Curiosity has shown no sign of methane, a gas detected previously by remote sensors, researchers said on Friday. On Earth, more than 90 percent of the methane in the atmosphere results from living organisms and its presence in the Martian atmosphere, first detected in 2003, raised the prospect of microbial life on the planet. Although no methane was detected during Curiosity's first detailed atmospheric analysis, scientists working under the auspices of the U.S. space agency plan to keep looking. ... Full Story | Top |
| (Blank Headline Received) Friday, Nov 02, 2012 02:14 PM PDT Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Obama, Romney solutions to stimulating the economy Friday, Nov 02, 2012 02:11 PM PDT (Reuters) - The health of the U.S. economy has been central to the campaign for the White House, with both President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney seeking to convince voters they have a plan to usher in faster growth and job creation. The economy has struggled to break above a 2 percent annual growth pace since the 2007-09 recession and unemployment remains uncomfortably high at 7.9 percent. About 23 million Americans are either unemployed, working only part-time although wanting full-time work, or want a job but have given up the search. ... Full Story | Top |
| Older voters prefer Romney on healthcare, Medicare: Reuters/Ipsos poll Friday, Nov 02, 2012 02:08 PM PDT  (Reuters) - As early voting proceeds across the country ahead of Tuesday's presidential election, voters over 50 continue to be more likely than most to prefer Republican challenger Mitt Romney to President Barack Obama and to favor Romney's position on two issues that directly affect the elderly: healthcare and Medicare. While Friday's Reuters/Ipsos national tracking poll saw the candidates at an effective dead heat among all likely voters, older likely voters preferred Romney 51 percent to 43 percent during the week ending November 4. ... Full Story | Top |
| Prominent Irish nationalist arrested over Northern Ireland shooting Friday, Nov 02, 2012 02:07 PM PDT  BELFAST (Reuters) - An Irish nationalist acquitted earlier this year of the murder of two British soldiers in Northern Ireland was arrested on Friday in connection with the fatal shooting of a prison officer, a security source said. The murder of David Black, 52, on Thursday was the first killing of a Northern Irish prison officer in almost 20 years and the fifth fatal attack on a member of the security establishment since the 1998 Good Friday peace deal. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. renews sanctions, Sudan criticizes decision Friday, Nov 02, 2012 01:58 PM PDT WASHINGTON/KHARTOUM (Reuters) - President Barack Obama renewed U.S. sanctions on Sudan on Friday, acknowledging Khartoum had resolved disputes with South Sudan but warning that Darfur and other conflicts still impeded normal ties, the State Department said. Khartoum reacted by accusing the United States of "double standards". The order maintains several sets of U.S. sanctions imposed since 1997 that restrict U.S. trade and investment with Sudan and block the assets of the Sudanese government and certain officials. ... Full Story | Top |
| Controversial former White House hopeful Bachmann faces tough challenge Friday, Nov 02, 2012 01:49 PM PDT  ST. CLOUD, Minnesota (Reuters) - Representative Michele Bachmann, known for controversial comments during her Republican presidential nomination bid, faces a tough congressional election challenge on Tuesday in a Minnesota district that should be friendly to conservatives. The race in the sprawling Minnesota 6th Congressional District has been the nation's most expensive in both money raised and spent by Bachmann and Democratic challenger Jim Graves, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The two candidates have raised a total of $22.7 million and spent $20.8, the center reported. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nigerian army kills 30 in militant bastion: witnesses Friday, Nov 02, 2012 01:41 PM PDT  MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian troops shot dead at least 30 people during raids in the northeast city of Maiduguri, bastion of the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram, witnesses and hospital staff said on Friday. Boko Haram says it wants to create an Islamic state in Nigeria and its fighters have killed hundreds in bomb and gun attacks targeting security forces, politicians and civilians since launching an uprising in 2009. The sect has become the top security threat to Africa's biggest energy-producing state. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan oil state rebels say repulsed government advance Friday, Nov 02, 2012 01:38 PM PDT KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Rebels in Sudan's main oil state said on Friday they had killed scores of government troops in one of the largest clashes reported in the South Kordofan region in recent months. Sudan's armed forces were not available to comment on the report by the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N). Access to South Kordofan, which borders newly independent South Sudan, is restricted and it was not possible to verify the report independently. "The SPLM-N were able to kill 70 of the enemy forces," the rebels said in a statement, adding that seven insurgents died. ... Full Story | Top |
| Europe still biggest headwind to global recovery: U.S. Friday, Nov 02, 2012 01:36 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Europe's financial crisis remains the biggest hurdle to global economic recovery and will be in focus at a meeting of world finance chiefs in Mexico City this weekend, a senior U.S. Treasury official said on Friday. "Recognizing that Europe remains the strongest headwind to global growth, there will be considerable interest among the G20 on the European crisis response," the official said. The comments contrast with those from some other members of the Group of 20 leading economies, who said the United States' own fiscal problems will loom largest at the G20 meetings. ... Full Story | Top |
| Georgia's new government to cut president's funding in 2013 Friday, Nov 02, 2012 01:10 PM PDT  TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgia's new government led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili plans to cut President Mikheil Saakashvili's funding next year in a move to put pressure on his political rival. Political novice Ivanishvili became Georgia's prime minister after voters relegated Saakashvili's ruling party to the minority in a bitterly contested October 1 election. The election ended Saakashvili's nine-year dominance of Georgia, a focus of tensions between Russia and the West and a transit country for Caspian Sea oil and gas exports to Europe. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israeli official sees "shocking" dictatorship in Egypt Friday, Nov 02, 2012 01:06 PM PDT  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A senior Israeli official described Egypt's new government on Friday as a "shocking dictatorial force" and predicted there would be no high-level contacts between the two countries, but the Israeli government distanced itself from his comments. The remarks by Amos Gilad, a top aide to Defense Minister Ehud Barak, were some of the harshest yet about the rise to prominence of Egypt's new Islamist president Mohamed Mursi, who was elected in June. ... Full Story | Top |
| Job growth quickens, giving Obama some relief Friday, Nov 02, 2012 12:50 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Employers stepped up hiring in October and a small increase in the jobless rate was due to more workers restarting their job hunts, a hopeful sign for a lackluster economy that has been a drag on President Barack Obama's re-election bid. Employers added 171,000 people to their payrolls last month, the Labor Department said on Friday. The government also said 84,000 more jobs were created in August and September than previously estimated. The jobless rate edged up a tenth of a point to 7.9 percent, but that was due to workers surging back into the labor force. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. waives Jones Act to help get fuel to Northeast Friday, Nov 02, 2012 12:40 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government issued a rare waiver on Friday allowing foreign tankers from the Gulf of Mexico to supply the Northeast with fuel after Hurricane Sandy, but the extent of relief was uncertain since some ports in the region still lack power. The Department of Homeland Security's waiver of the Jones Act allows foreign vessels to begin shipping petroleum products, such as gasoline and diesel, from the Gulf of Mexico to Northeastern ports effective immediately and running through November 13. ... Full Story | Top |
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