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| Arizona Latinos say Obama's immigration push overdue Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 08:06 PM PST PHOENIX (Reuters) - Student Maxima Guerrero welcomed Democratic President Barack Obama's drive to give millions of illegal immigrants like her a pathway to U.S. citizenship on Tuesday, saying it cannot come soon enough for many in the tough-on-immigration state of Arizona. "It was a good step forward," said Guerrero, 22, a student in Phoenix. But one speech will not stop deportations, which are separating some local children from their parents, who entered the country illegally, she said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama pushes Congress on immigration, split emerges Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 08:06 PM PST  LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Just over a week into his second term, President Barack Obama took his fight for immigration reform to the West on Tuesday and pushed Congress to quickly find a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented residents. But as Obama praised a bipartisan immigration plan during a speech in Las Vegas, disagreement emerged between the White House and Republicans that underscored the difficulty of resolving an emotive issue that has long defied a legislative fix. ... Full Story | Top |
| Australian PM surprises with Sept election call Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 07:19 PM PST  CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard stunned voters on Wednesday by setting a national election for September 14, eight months away, in her first major political speech for 2013. Elections must be held in Australia by the end of the year, but Gillard said she wanted to end political uncertainty by setting the date now. "It is not right for Australians to be forced into a guessing game, and it's not right for Australians to not face this year with certainty and stability," Gillard said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Los Angeles official seeks to shut hotels for maternity tourists Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 07:02 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Los Angeles official moved on Tuesday to crack down on so-called maternity hotels he said have sprung up across parts of Southern California as pregnant women travel to the United States in a growing "birthing tourism" trend. Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe asked colleagues to approve a series of steps designed to ultimately close the hotels - typically single-family homes carved into bedrooms where visiting women pay to stay in anticipation of giving birth to a child who will be born a U.S. citizen. ... Full Story | Top |
| Actress Ashley Judd and race car driver Dario Franchitti split Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 06:26 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - American actress Ashley Judd and her Scottish race car driver husband Dario Franchitti are ending their marriage after 11 years. The movie star, 44, and the Indianapolis 500 race car driver, 39, married in 2001 and have no children. "We have mutually decided to end our marriage. We'll always be family and continue to cherish our relationship based on the special love, integrity and respect we have always enjoyed," a representative for the couple told People magazine in a statement on Tuesday. No reason was given for the split. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cuban baseball defector returns home under new law Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 06:12 PM PST  HAVANA (Reuters) - A decade after he defected to the United States to play Major League Baseball, Cuban pitcher Jose Contreras has returned to his homeland in the first test of the island's liberalized travel laws. He was welcomed on Tuesday at Havana's Hot Corner, a mecca for baseball fans, by about 200 people who crowded around to get photos and autographs from the lanky right-hander. Contreras, 41, signed baseball caps, dollar bills, Cuban money and a woman's dress as he mixed happily with his fellow countrymen in an emotional return home. ... Full Story | Top |
| Clinton says she doesn't see "getting back into politics" Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 05:52 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday cast doubt on speculation she might run for the White House in 2016. In an interview taped for National Public Radio, Clinton was asked what questions she needs to answer for herself as she decides whether to run for president. "I'm not even posing those questions. I am really looking forward to stepping off the fast track that I've been on. I've been out of politics as Secretary of State. I don't see myself getting back into politics," she said, according to an excerpt of the interview. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brazilian cities crack down on nightclubs after deadly fire Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 05:28 PM PST  SANTA MARIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Cities across Brazil are cracking down on nightclubs to ensure that they comply with fire regulations after a weekend blaze destroyed a club in the southern university town of Santa Maria, killing 235 people. The fire was Brazil's deadliest in half a century and the tragedy resonated across the country, with many people demanding those responsible be prosecuted and that the government tighten up on safety. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate Democrats plan fresh push to ease home refinancing Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 05:16 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Democrats will propose legislation as early as this week to extend a government program that aims to help homeowners with government-backed loans to refinance, according to aides on Capitol Hill. The proposal would expand on a housing relief bill that Senators Robert Menendez and Barbara Boxer failed to gain traction on last year. The legislation aims to open the door to refinancing for more borrowers who owe more than their properties are worth. More than 1. ... Full Story | Top |
| Guantanamo defense lawyers want prison camp sleep-over Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 04:57 PM PST  GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - Lawyers defending the Guantanamo prisoners accused of plotting the September 11 attacks sought permission on Tuesday to spend 48 hours in the top-secret prison where the alleged al Qaeda conspirators have awaited trial for more than six years. "You want to sleep with your client?" Army tribunal judge Colonel James Pohl asked one of the lawyers during a hearing, provoking snickers in the courtroom at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba. ... Full Story | Top |
| Families of servicemen killed in attack to get Iran money Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 04:46 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - The families of 17 U.S. servicemen killed in a 1996 bombing in Saudi Arabia linked to Iran can collect damages from Iran-funded accounts at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday. U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel in Manhattan ordered the bank, which did not oppose the motion, to hand over more than $260,000 in various accounts linked to Tehran, still a far cry from the full amount to which the families are entitled. In June 1996, a truck bomb destroyed the Khobar Towers, a housing complex in Saudi Arabia, killing 19 U.S. servicemen. ... Full Story | Top |
| Job growth likely modest but steady in January Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 04:18 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hiring by employers likely held steady in January, pointing to modest growth in the economy despite worries that budget battles in Washington could derail the recovery. Nonfarm payrolls are expected to have risen 160,000, a marginal step up from December's 155,000 job gain, according to a Reuters survey of economists. The unemployment rate is seen holding steady at 7.8 percent. Many economists think companies would create more jobs if Washington could resolve a seemingly intractable fight over how to tame the federal budget deficit. ... Full Story | Top |
| Muse to play anniversary gig for War Child charity Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 04:05 PM PST LONDON (Reuters) - British rock band Muse will headline a gig in London next month to mark the 20th anniversary of War Child, a charity that aims to protect young victims of conflicts around the world. The gig on February 18 at the Shepherd's Bush Empire will be the fifth time War Child has staged a concert in association with the BRIT Awards, Britain's top pop honors which take place this year at the O2 Arena on February 20. War Child is to receive the inaugural Special Recognition Award at the ceremony, while Muse has been nominated for best British group and best British live act. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria "breaking up before everyone's eyes:" envoy tells U.N. Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:45 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N.-Arab League mediator Lakhdar Brahimi warned the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may be able to cling to power for now but the country is "breaking up before everyone's eyes," diplomats told Reuters. Brahimi appealed to the 15-nation council to overcome its deadlock and take action to help put an end to the Syrian civil war. However, it was not clear whether his latest report, which diplomats said was his bleakest since his appointment last year, would persuade Russia to agree to support concrete U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Blind dissident urges global pressure on China over rights Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:41 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng urged the United States on Tuesday not to let business concerns prevent it from pressing China over human rights, saying America must never "offer the smallest compromise" on its principles. Chen is a self-taught legal advocate whose escape from house arrest last April and subsequent refuge in the U.S. Embassy embarrassed China and led to a diplomatic tussle that ended with him leaving China to study in New York. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate approves Kerry as secretary of state Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:35 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - John Kerry's nomination as President Barack Obama's new secretary of state sailed through the Senate on Tuesday, as his fellow senators voted overwhelmingly to confirm him to replace Hillary Clinton as the country's top diplomat. The vote was 94-3 in favor. The two senators from Texas, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, and Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, all Republicans, were the only no votes. Kerry, the senior Democratic senator from Massachusetts, voted "present." Kerry's confirmation as the first new member of Obama's second-term national security team had been expected. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate crusader seeks allies in war against corporate tax loopholes Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:24 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Carl Levin for years tried to close U.S. corporate tax loopholes but failed to persuade many fellow Democrats. With an ax now looming over all federal spending, the veteran Michigan lawmaker hopes to gain some converts. Levin's committee on investigations has long used its subpoena power to produce reports on corporate tax avoidance and wrongdoing. His panel, which has oversight over government operations, has no power to enact tax law, and neither tax-writers nor Senate leadership have taken up his cause. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mursi due in Germany on visit shortened by Egypt crisis Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:18 PM PST  CAIRO/BERLIN (Reuters) - President Mohamed Mursi is to leave Egypt's political crisis behind on Wednesday with a short trip to Germany to seek urgently needed foreign investment and convince Europe of his democratic credentials. But with the Egyptian army chief warning on Tuesday that the state was on the brink of collapse after days of lethal street violence, Mursi cancelled plans to go on to Paris from Berlin and will instead hurry back to Cairo later in the day. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sixty-five people executed in Syria's Aleppo: activists Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:15 PM PST  BEIRUT (Reuters) - At least 65 people were found shot dead with their hands bound in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Tuesday in a "new massacre" in the near two-year revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, activists said. Opposition campaigners blamed the government but it was impossible to confirm who was responsible. Assad's forces and rebels have been battling in Syria's commercial hub since July and both have been accused of carrying out summary executions. U.N.-Arab League mediator Lakhdar Brahimi told the U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Details of U.S. immigration reform proposals Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:14 PM PST (Reuters) - President Barack Obama pushed Congress to reform immigration laws on Tuesday, a campaign promise he made last year to Hispanics when running for re-election. His speech in Las Vegas came a day after a bipartisan group of U.S. senators unveiled the outlines of an immigration reform proposal that they will try to pass this year. Many details still have to be worked out before the outlines can be translated into legislation. Here are the main elements: * A PATH TO CITIZENSHIP: There are an estimated 11 million people living in the United States who arrived illegally. ... Full Story | Top |
| $7.3 million camp for Afghan police found nearly empty: inspectors Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:10 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A $7.3 million base camp built to house 175 Afghan Border Police was sitting virtually empty two months after it was handed over to Afghan authorities, and some equipment like wood-burning stoves had been dismantled, U.S. inspectors reported on Tuesday. The facility, located in Kunduz Province, consisted of 12 buildings, including a dining hall, that were contracted by the Army Corps of Engineers and completed September 3, 2012, according to a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. ... Full Story | Top |
| Texas governor: give excess tax money back to people Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 02:48 PM PST  AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas Governor Rick Perry on Tuesday called for returning excess tax money to taxpayers and tapping the state's rainy-day fund for water and transportation infrastructure. Perry, 62, the longest-serving governor in the nation at just over 12 years, touted the success of Texas in creating jobs and luring companies to the state. The Republican called for changing the constitution of the state, the nation's second most populous, to allow the return of tax money to the people who paid it when the state brings in more than needed. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York City Mayor Bloomberg proposes $70.1 billion budget for 2014 Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 02:35 PM PST  (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday proposed a $70.1 billion budget for fiscal 2014, his last as mayor, that closes a $1.1 billion deficit without tax hikes or lay-offs. The mayor's proposed operating budget calls for the city to spend $50.7 billion in fiscal 2014 on fire, police, health, education, pension and healthcare costs. Of that, expenditures over which the city has control would drop 1.1 percent, or $254 million, next year from the current fiscal year, which ends on June 30. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mali secures recaptured towns, donors pledge funds Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 02:29 PM PST  DOUENTZA/GAO, Mali (Reuters) - French-backed Malian troops searched house-to-house in Gao and Timbuktu on Tuesday, uncovering arms and explosives abandoned by Islamist fighters, and France said it aimed to hand over longer-term security operations in Mali to an African force. An 18-day offensive in France's former West African colony has pushed the militants out of major towns and into desert and mountain hideouts to head off the risk of Mali being used as a springboard for jihadist attacks in the wider region or Europe. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Gay marriage foes suffer from fundraising shortfall Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 02:23 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Foes of same-sex marriage are laboring to pay the tab for an epic legal case now before the U.S. Supreme Court, as the movement suffers from fundraising shortfalls that could sap its strength in future battles. ProtectMarriage.com, the advocacy group defending a California gay marriage ban now under review by the high court, showed a $2 million deficit in its legal fund at the end of 2011 - the third year in a row that expenses exceeded donations, federal tax records show. The 2012 accounts are not yet available. ProtectMarriage. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU takes on task of rebuilding Mali army Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 02:20 PM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union has a vital role to play in rebuilding Malian army that is badly paid, poorly equipped and seriously weakened by a year of defeats, the commander of a new EU military training mission said on Tuesday. French General Francois Lecointre, speaking after an initial fact-finding trip to Mali, where troops are fighting with French help to push back Islamist rebels who occupied the north of the country, said the army there was in a "very broken-down" state. ... Full Story | Top |
| Execution of woman in Texas postponed, lawyers to argue jury discrimination Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 02:19 PM PST  AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The execution of Kimberly McCarthy was postponed by a Texas judge on Tuesday, the day she was to die, to give her lawyers time to argue that racial discrimination played a role in choosing the jury that convicted her. It was rescheduled for April 3 and, if carried out, McCarthy will be the first woman to be put to death in the United States in nearly three years. Dallas County District Court Judge Larry Mitchell delayed the execution, which was scheduled to take place after 6 p.m. local time. ... Full Story | Top |
| Top Senate Democrat sets up fight over looming budget cuts Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 02:11 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Senate Democrat said on Tuesday that he wants increased tax revenues to help replace the automatic spending cuts looming on March 1, a demand that could reignite partisan budget tensions. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Democrats are working on alternatives to the $85 billion in delayed, across-the-board spending cuts, known as the sequester. They will seek to end some tax credits and close loopholes - possibly some for oil companies - to find revenues to help replace the cuts, he said. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. optimistic Syria aid meet will win major funding Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 01:45 PM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United Nations has received promises of major donations at this week's $1.5 billion aid conference for millions of Syrians affected by nearly two years of conflict, a senior U.N. official said on Tuesday. Wednesday's pledging conference in Kuwait will seek $1 billion of aid for Syria's neighbors sheltering 700,000 registered refugees, and another $500 million to bankroll humanitarian work for 4 million Syrians inside their country. ... Full Story | Top |
| UPDATE 1-Soccer-Beitar punished for fan racism, crush opponents Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 01:29 PM PST (Updates after punishment announced, end of match) JERUSALEM, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Hundreds of police officers and stewards watched as Beitar Jerusalem crushed Arab club Maccabi Umm el-Fahm 5-0 in their Israeli State Cup tie on Tuesday after receiving a relatively mild punishment for racist behaviour from some of their fans at the weekend. A racist group among Beitar fans caused uproar in the Jewish state on Saturday when they held up banners during a Premier League match to protest at owner Arkady Gaydamak's planned recruitment of two Chechen Muslim players. ... Full Story | Top |
| Transportation chief LaHood to step down Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 01:24 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said on Tuesday he planned to resign, marking the latest departure from President Barack Obama's Cabinet as the administration tries to find the root cause of safety problems with Boeing's Dreamliner plane. The Republican and former Illinois congressman brought a bipartisan element to the Democratic president's team, and his legislative skills helped Obama win approval of a new highway funding bill last year that had been stalled due to political bickering. ... Full Story | Top |
| In parallel immigration push, bill focuses on high-skilled workers Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 01:17 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senators introduced a new proposal on Tuesday to make life easier for highly skilled immigrants and their employers to nourish America's high-technology industries as Congress begins the long process of tackling immigration reform. A bipartisan bill, focused largely on highly educated foreign workers, was introduced in Congress a day after another group of senators unveiled a comprehensive plan for simplifying the U.S. immigration system and giving illegal immigrants a chance to become citizens. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fear, threats and bad food: life aboard a sanctions-hit Iranian ship Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 01:13 PM PST  CHENNAI, India (Reuters) - The eight Indian crew members on board the MV Amina had no inkling they were trapped on the frontline of the West's economic war against Iran. All experienced seamen, they joined the Iranian-flagged cargo ship last year. Within months, they were caught up in a fight to prevent the ship fleeing to international waters to escape port arrest in Sri Lanka. Having disobeyed the captain's orders to weigh anchor, their courage turned to fear. ... Full Story | Top |
| If Congress doesn't act on immigration, will push own plan: Obama Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 12:54 PM PST LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that if Congress is unable to act in a timely fashion on changing immigration laws, he will propose legislation of his own and demand lawmakers vote on it. Pledging swift action, Obama said in a speech that Washington should have the resolve to "finally put this issue behind us." (Reporting by Steve Holland and Jeff Mason; Editing by Will Dunham) Full Story | Top |
| Time has come for "common-sense" immigration overhaul: Obama Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 12:54 PM PST LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - President Barack Obama appealed for a "common-sense" and comprehensive overhaul of U.S. immigrations laws on Tuesday to help illegal immigrants "get on the right side of the law." In a speech in Las Vegas, Obama said an overhaul would strengthen the U.S. economy. He said some issues will be difficult to negotiate with Congress, but "now's the time" for change. (Reporting by Steve Holland and Jeff Mason; Editing by Will Dunham) Full Story | Top |
| U.N. nuclear watchdog backs Iran's denial of Fordow blast Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 12:48 PM PST VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. atomic watchdog made clear on Tuesday it had seen no sign of any explosion at one of Iran's most sensitive nuclear plants, backing up Tehran's denial of media reports that such an incident had taken place last week. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in an unusual move, made a brief statement after some Israeli and Western media at the weekend reported there had been significant damage at the underground Fordow uranium enrichment facility. ... Full Story | Top |
| Security firm G4S loses out on deal with British police forces Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 12:38 PM PST LONDON (Reuters) - G4S, the security firm that botched a London Olympics contract, has lost out on British police work after three forces decided against outsourcing some services to the group. G4S, the world's biggest security firm with operations in over 125 countries, had been hoping to run services like IT and human resources for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire police, but the trio ended plans on Tuesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Florida man's license restored as state drops fraud allegation Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 12:27 PM PST  MIAMI (Reuters) - Florida's Department of Motor Vehicles said on Tuesday it had lifted the suspension of a South Florida man's driving license after it accused him of fraud for adopting his wife's last name. "It was a mistake on our part," Florida DMV spokesperson Kirsten Olsen-Doolan said. "The suspension will be lifted." The DMV stripped Boca Raton real estate investor Lazaro Dinh, 40, of his license in December after he changed his last name from Sopena to help his wife's Vietnamese family perpetuate their family surname. ... Full Story | Top |
| NRA head to Congress: Don't blame gun owners for violence Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 12:24 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The National Rifle Association will argue that greater restrictions are not the answer to gun violence at a Senate hearing on Wednesday, which is likely to stoke skepticism that legislation to tighten controls will advance very far this year. NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, in testimony released on Tuesday on the eve of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, showed no signs of backing down from opposition to gun controls advocated by President Barack Obama and Democratic lawmakers after a mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school in December. ... Full Story | Top |
| More adults need vaccines, and not just for flu: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 12:22 PM PST ATLANTA (Reuters) - The flu isn't the only illness adults should be immunized against, U.S. health officials said on Tuesday, as a new study found current adult vaccination rates in the country "unacceptably low." The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that a "substantial increase" in adult vaccinations is needed to prevent diseases including pneumonia, tetanus, diphtheria, hepatitis, shingles and whooping cough. "Far too few adults are getting vaccinated against these important diseases, and we need to do more," said Dr. ... Full Story | Top |
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