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| Biden to meet Syrian opposition leader in Europe - White House Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 07:30 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is set to meet with Syrian opposition leader Mouaz Alkhatib during a European trip in coming days and will discuss U.S. concerns about the Syrian conflict with Russia as well, White House officials said on Thursday. It would be the highest-level U.S. meeting with the Syrian opposition, which is fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad in a 22-month-old war that has killed more than 60,000 people and forced more than 700,000 to flee Syria, according to the United Nations. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. skeptical about Argentina-Iran "truth commission" Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 07:28 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday voiced doubt that Argentina and Iran's planned "truth commission" would bring to justice those responsible for the deadly 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish community center. Argentine courts have said Iran was behind the attack on the Jewish center, which killed 85 people. The commission agreement, announced over the weekend but subject to the approval of Argentina's Congress, outlines plans for Argentine officials to interview suspects in Iran rather than in a third country, as originally proposed by Argentina. ... Full Story | Top |
| California's Hispanic population projected to outnumber white in 2014 Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 07:05 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California's Hispanic population will equal that of whites this year before becoming the state's largest demographic group in 2014 for the first time since statehood in 1850, a government report showed on Thursday. That change in the most populous U.S. state will make it the third where whites do not comprise a plurality of the population, after New Mexico and Hawaii. The shift is occurring alongside nationwide growth in the Hispanic population, which grew to 16.7 percent of the total in 2011 from 12.5 percent in 2000, according to U.S. Census figures. ... Full Story | Top |
| Explosion at Mexican oil giant Pemex offices kills 14 Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 06:48 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A powerful explosion rocked the Mexico City headquarters of state-owned oil giant Pemex on Thursday, killing at least 14 people, injuring 100 and trapping others inside. The blast battered the lower floors of the downtown tower, throwing debris into the streets and sending frightened workers running outside. It was not yet clear what caused the explosion, the latest in a series of safety problems to hit Mexico's national oil monopoly. Media reports said the incident occurred when machinery apparently exploded. ... Full Story | Top |
| Clinton warns Russia, Iran of Syria conflict spreading Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 06:43 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Iran and Russia on Thursday to rethink their support for Syria, saying the most dire scenarios of the conflict spilling beyond its borders could come to pass. Clinton told reporters there are signs Iran is sending more people and increasingly sophisticated weaponry to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his 22-month battle against rebels seeking to end his family's four-decades of authoritarian rule. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK government drags heels on flood protection - MPs Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 06:34 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - The government came under fire on Friday from a committee of MPs for dragging its heels on flood protection, after 2012 went down as the second wettest year since records began and floods wreaked havoc across the country. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee criticised the government's approach to tackling flooding in a review of the government's draft water bill which proposes market reform among water utilities. ... Full Story | Top |
| Taiwan names new premier in reshuffle which may see new central bank chief Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 06:32 PM PST TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's vice premier Jiang Yih-Huah will replace premier Sean Chen, the presidential office said in statement issued late on Thursday, as part of a cabinet reshuffle that could see a new central bank chief. Central bank chief Perng Fai-nan wants to retire as part of the reshuffle, two lawmakers told a Taiwanese television station on Thursday. A central bank official refused to comment on Perng's possible retirement. Perng's third five-year term is due to end in February. ... Full Story | Top |
| Republicans assail Pentagon nominee Hagel at confirmation hearing Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 06:29 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers attacked Chuck Hagel on Thursday at a contentious hearing over his nomination to become the next U.S. defense secretary, questioning his judgment on war strategy and putting him broadly on the defensive. In one of the most heated exchanges, Senator John McCain aggressively questioned Hagel, interrupting him and talking over him at times. He voiced frustration at the former Republican senator's failure to say plainly whether he was right or wrong to oppose the 2007 "surge" of U.S. troops in Iraq. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boy held hostage in Alabama bunker for third day: officials Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 05:58 PM PST MIDLAND CITY, Alabama (Reuters) - A hostage-taking by a gunman accused of fatally shooting a school bus driver and then disappearing with a young boy into an underground bunker entered its third night on Thursday in a rural corner of southeast Alabama. Law enforcement officials remained tight-lipped about the standoff near Midland City, a small town about 30 miles west of Alabama's border with Georgia, after cancelling a planned news conference. ... Full Story | Top |
| House lawmakers mull path to citizenship for illegal immigrants Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 05:42 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan group in the U.S. House of Representatives is attempting to craft a bill that would give millions of illegal immigrants a way to become citizens, House aides said on Thursday, mirroring an effort in the Senate. One of the aides said the House legislation would be tougher in some ways than the plan put forward on Monday by four Democrats and four Republicans in the U.S. Senate. ... Full Story | Top |
| Arkansas Senate passes ''fetal heartbeat'' law to ban most abortions Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 05:33 PM PST LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - The Arkansas state Senate approved a bill on Thursday to ban most abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected, a move that would prohibit the procedure as early as five weeks into pregnancy. The Arkansas Human Heartbeat Protection Act would also require women to undergo a vaginal probe to detect the heartbeat. The Republican-controlled Senate passed the bill 26-8. Governor Mike Beebe, a conservative Democrat, is concerned the law could violate federal laws and court rulings, said spokesman Matt DeCample. ... Full Story | Top |
| Clinton: window for Iran talks can't stay open "too much longer" Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 05:20 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The window for negotiations with Iran about its nuclear program cannot stay open for "too much longer," outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday but she declined to provide a deadline. "I don't think the window can remain open for too much longer (but) I am not going to put days, weeks or months on it," Clinton told a small group of reporters on the eve of her departure from the State Department. The United States and its Western allies suspect that Iran is using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop a bomb. ... Full Story | Top |
| Two years on, Benghazi threatens "another revolution" in Libya Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 05:05 PM PST  BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - As night fell over Benghazi, a familiar sound echoed across the eastern Libyan city - an explosion, and then gunfire. A bomb had just been thrown at a police car on patrol, injuring an officer. It was the latest of many attacks on local security forces. Two months before, the man whose job it was to ensure Benghazi was safe, the police chief, was shot dead outside his home. ... Full Story | Top |
| Stalingrad gets its name back - for a day Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 04:42 PM PST  VOLGOGRAD, Russia (Reuters) - Josef Stalin and the city of Stalingrad are making a comeback - if only for a short time. The Russian city of Volgograd has approved the use of its wartime name at events on Saturday commemorating the 70th anniversary of the 200-day Battle of Stalingrad that turned the tide of World War Two. In a move not sanctioned by the city authorities, admirers also plan to display portraits of the late Soviet dictator in minibuses to honor his role in the defeat of Nazi Germany. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Colorado Lieutenant Governor a top pick for US Labor chief - sources Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 04:29 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Colorado Lieutenant Governor Joe Garcia is a leading candidate to become secretary of labor in President Barack Obama's second-term cabinet, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters on Thursday. Garcia, a Hispanic former president of Colorado State University-Pueblo, would bring racial diversity and a Western flair to Obama's team. The president has faced criticism for failing to choose women and minority candidates for cabinet vacancies at the departments of state, defense, and treasury. ... Full Story | Top |
| Somali-American man guilty in Oregon Christmas bomb plot Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 04:25 PM PST PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) - A Somali-American man was found guilty on Thursday of trying to blow up a Christmas-tree lighting ceremony in Oregon using a fake bomb supplied to him by undercover agents posing as Islamist militants, the public defender's office said. Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a naturalized U.S. citizen and former Oregon State University student, faces a possible life term in prison on his conviction on a charge of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. Sentencing is set for May 14. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Hospital chain defies NLRB rulings after court decision Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 04:23 PM PST (Reuters) - A California-based hospital company says it will not comply with at least two National Labor Relations Board rulings from the past year after a federal court invalidated three of President Barack Obama's recess appointments to the NLRB last week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Taiwan's vice premier Jiang to be premier Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 04:12 PM PST TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's vice premier Jiang Yih-Huah will replace premier Sean Chen as part of a cabinet reshuffle, the presidential office said in statement issued late on Thursday. Mao Chi-kuo, the transportation minister, will take over as vice premier, the statement said. (Reporting by Faith Hung; Editing by Paul Tait) Full Story | Top |
| Teenage student wounded in Atlanta school shooting Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:58 PM PST  ATLANTA (Reuters) - A 14-year-old student was wounded on Thursday in a shooting outside a middle school in Atlanta and police said another student was arrested in the latest outbreak of gun violence in a U.S. school. The afternoon shooting occurred outside Price Middle School in Atlanta, Georgia. Neither the wounded student nor the suspected shooter were identified by authorities. Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Erroll Davis and Police Chief George Turner said at a news conference that multiple gunshots were fired from a small-caliber handgun outside the main school building. ... Full Story | Top |
| Somali-American man guilty in Christmas bomb plot Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:56 PM PST PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) - A Somali-American man was found guilty on Thursday of trying to blow up a Christmas-tree lighting ceremony in Oregon using a fake bomb supplied to him by undercover agents posing as Islamist militants, the public defender's office said. Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a naturalized U.S. citizen and former Oregon State University student, faces a possible life term in prison on his conviction on a charge of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction linked to the 2010 plot. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Colorado Lieutenant Governor a top pick for Labor chief - sources Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:50 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Colorado Lieutenant Governor Joe Garcia is a leading candidate to become secretary of labor in President Barack Obama's second-term cabinet, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters on Thursday. Garcia, a Hispanic former president of Colorado State University-Pueblo, would bring racial diversity and a Western flair to Obama's team. The president has faced criticism for failing to choose women and minority candidates for cabinet vacancies at the departments of state, defense, and treasury. ... Full Story | Top |
| Armenia presidential candidate shot, election in doubt Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:48 PM PST YEREVAN (Reuters) - An Armenian presidential candidate was wounded by unknown gunmen in the capital Yerevan on Thursday night, police said, in an attack that could delay February's election. Paruyr Hayrikyan, whose life was not in danger after the shooting, is one of eight candidates running in the February 18 vote but is not seen as a strong challenger to Serzh Sarksyan, who is expected to be re-elected for a second five-year term. However, according to Armenia's constitution, the election could be postponed by two weeks if a candidate is unable to campaign or run. ... Full Story | Top |
| Clinton: Iran may be sending more people, arms to Syria Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:43 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - There are signs that Iran is sending growing numbers of people and increasingly sophisticated weaponry to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday. "It appears that they may be increasing that involvement and that is a matter of great concern to us," she told reporters as she prepares to step down on Friday. "I think the numbers (of people) have increased ... There is a lot of concern that they are increasing the quality of the weapons, because Assad is using up his weaponry. ... Full Story | Top |
| Florida governor seeks higher school aid, business tax cuts Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:40 PM PST TALLAHASSEE (Reuters) - Florida's Republican governor on Thursday proposed a hefty $4 billion hike in state spending in a budget plan that includes a $1.2 billion increase in school aid, cuts in business taxes, and relies on fatter state sales-tax collections. Accompanied by teachers, business leaders and state employees, Gov. Rick Scott told reporters at the Capitol that his $74.2 billion spending plan for fiscal year 2013-14 illustrated economic recovery in Florida and tough budget decisions made by lawmakers over the last few years when revenues were faltering. ... Full Story | Top |
| Argentina rejects meeting with Falklands government Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:35 PM PST BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina on Thursday rejected an invitation from Britain to a meeting that would include representatives of the government of the Falkland Islands, further hardening the diplomatic stalemate over the South Atlantic archipelago. Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman said in an open letter to his British counterpart William Hague that only a bi-lateral meeting between Argentina and Britain would be acceptable. The two countries fought a 10-week war in 1982 over the Falklands, which are part of Britain's self-governing overseas territories. ... Full Story | Top |
| At desolate Algeria gas plant, hope for new start Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:32 PM PST  TIGUENTOURINE, Algeria (Reuters) - Algerian engineers at the In Amenas natural gas plant are working to get at least some of the desert facility back to work in the coming days, two weeks after three dozen foreign workers were killed in an Islamist hostage siege. Lying deep in the Sahara, the site was surrounded by troops with armored vehicles when Algerian officials gave journalists a first view of the area since gunmen attacked on January 15 and seized hundreds of hostages before the army stormed in four days later. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt opposition to protest after deadly week Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:26 PM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - Opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi have called mass demonstrations on Friday, raising the prospect of more bloodshed despite a pledge by politicians to back off after the deadliest week of his seven months in office. Protests marking the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak have killed nearly 60 people since January 25. It prompted the head of the army - the institution that effectively ran Egypt for six decades until Mursi's election - to warn that the state was on the verge of collapse. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mother loses fourth child to Chicago gun violence Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:24 PM PST  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Shirley Chambers of Chicago had four children - three boys and a girl. Now they're all gone. Chambers will bury her son, Ronnie Chambers, on Monday. He was the last of the single mother's children - all victims of gun violence in Chicago over a period of 18 years. "I was in shock, truly, because I'm just knowing that Ronnie's going to grow up and be an old man. That was in my heart," said Chambers, 54. The loss of four siblings to the same fate illustrates the depth of Chicago's stubborn gun violence problem and the city leaders' struggle to bring it under control. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama might back territorial tax system: business chief Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:19 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chief of a group of more than 200 CEOs said on Thursday that President Barack Obama had told the business community last month he might back a territorial tax system, a regime that would exempt offshore corporate profits from U.S. taxation. Corporate America is pushing for the United States to move to such a regime to make businesses more competitive against foreign rivals that pay no taxes on overseas earnings. The United States currently taxes corporate profits earned abroad only when they are brought into the country. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bell Helicopters' upgraded H-1 generates foreign interest Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:15 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As U.S. budget pressures mount, the U.S. Marine Corps says growing foreign demand could help drive down the unit cost of its new upgraded H-1 utility and attack helicopters built by Bell Helicopter, a unit of Textron Inc . Major General John Croley, assistant deputy commandant for aviation, said the new helicopters had greater range and capabilities that would enhance the Marines' ability to work with allies across the Asia-Pacific region. He said increased interest from countries in Asia and the Middle East could help lower the cost of the new helicopters as U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Suspension of debt limit wins final congressional approval Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:07 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bill allowing the government to keep borrowing money for at least a few more months, beyond its record $16.4 trillion debt limit, won final congressional approval on Thursday, clearing the way for President Barack Obama to sign it into law. The Democratic-led Senate passed the bill, 64-34, a week after the Republican-controlled House of Representatives approved it, 285-144. Both votes were bipartisan. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: How 'territorial' taxing of foreign profit might work Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:05 PM PST (Reuters) - Many large corporations want the U.S. government to adopt a "territorial system" that would exempt their active overseas corporate profits from U.S. taxes, in whole or in part. John Engler, head of the Business Roundtable, a group that lobbies for corporate chief executives, said on Thursday that President Barack Obama might back such a change. A White House spokesman responded by saying that Obama "does not believe that a pure territorial system is the best way" to reduce corporate taxes. ... Full Story | Top |
| September 11 victims' families and defendants' lawyers meet in Guantanamo Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 02:58 PM PST GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - Watching the U.S. military tribunal hearings for the men accused of plotting the September 11 attacks can be gut-wrenching for the victims' families, some of whom are still receiving their relatives' newly identified remains thanks to improved DNA testing unavailable a decade ago. Some family visitors have said they are galled to see American lawyers, including some U.S. military lawyers paid with their tax money, fighting vigorously in court to safeguard the rights of what one called "these monsters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Internet outrage grows over Indiana officer charged after saving deer Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 02:53 PM PST INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - An Indiana police officer said he does not know how Dani the deer slipped into the wild before the state could execute her, but he does not think he should be prosecuted in the case. Neither do 60,000 other people who are demanding online that charges be dropped. Jeff Counceller and his wife were charged with illegal possession of a wild animal for bringing the injured fawn to their Connersville home more than two years ago. They have said they planned to nurse her back to health and release her. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. sues to stop beer deal to unite Bud and Corona Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 02:38 PM PST  WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. government has filed a lawsuit seeking to stop Anheuser-Busch InBev SA from buying the half of Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo that it does not already own, saying the $20.1 billion deal could mean higher U.S. beer prices. The government's move calls into question the future of one of the biggest deals of 2012 and a related deal that was set to change the fortunes of the world's largest wine company, Constellation Brands Inc . Shares of all three companies fell sharply on the news. ... Full Story | Top |
| Judge orders end to secret censorship of Guantanamo court Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 02:29 PM PST  GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - A U.S. military judge on Thursday ordered the government to dismantle a monitoring system that let outside censors halt the public broadcast of hearings for Guantanamo prisoners accused of plotting the September 11 attacks. The closed-circuit broadcast feed was cut for a few minutes during a pretrial hearing at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base on Monday for the self-described mastermind of attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and four co-defendants. ... Full Story | Top |
| Former New York mayor Ed Koch moved to hospital intensive care Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 02:26 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch was moved to a hospital intensive care unit on Thursday, his spokesman said, in a sign that his health could be deteriorating. Koch spokesman George Arzt said the 88-year-old politician, who earned a reputation for being as outspoken as he is colorful, was being moved so his cardiologist could better monitor his condition. Koch has been treated at New York-Presbyterian Hospital on and off since January 19. Koch was re-admitted to the hospital on Monday after complaining of shortness of breath. ... Full Story | Top |
| Coca-Cola says did not intend Super Bowl ad to be derogatory Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 02:24 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co held what it called a "productive conversation" with an Arab-American group that labeled the firm's Super Bowl ad racist, but will not change the commercial featuring an Arab walking through a desert with a camel. "We did express regret that the ad had been misunderstood," Coca-Cola spokeswoman Lauren Thompson said in an email. "We are very concerned by these allegations and in no way is our ad meant to be derogatory to any group. ... Full Story | Top |
| Arab-American groups call Coke Super Bowl ad ''racist'' Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 02:24 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Arab-American groups have sharply criticized a Coca-Cola Super Bowl ad depicting an Arab walking through the desert with a camel, and one group said it would ask the beverage giant to change it before CBS airs the game on Sunday before an expected audience of more than 100 million U.S. viewers. "Why is it that Arabs are always shown as either oil-rich sheiks, terrorists, or belly dancers?" said Warren David, president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, or ADC. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canadians' possible role in Algeria attack of great concern to U.S. Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 02:19 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Signs that Canadian citizens were involved in the attack by hostage-taking Islamist militants on a remote gas plant in Algeria are of great concern to American authorities, U.S. intelligence officials said on Thursday. While Algerian authorities apparently have not yet provided Western governments with cast-iron proof, a senior U.S. intelligence official said, "We're taking very seriously the reports of the two Canadians' involvement. ... Full Story | Top |
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