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| Energy policy shifting as abundance replaces scarcity: Obama adviser Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 07:39 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As U.S. oil and natural gas production booms, the Obama administration's energy policy has been "fluid" by necessity to adapt to the huge economic opportunities and climate challenges posed by growth, the top White House energy and climate adviser said on Wednesday. In a speech to a room packed with energy analysts and lobbyists, Obama adviser Heather Zichal acknowledged that U.S. energy policy "might not look perfectly pretty from the outside" as it evolves to shifting supply-and-demand scenarios. ... Full Story | Top |
| Thailand agrees to talks with southern Muslim rebels Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 07:29 PM PST  KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 Reuters) - Thailand's government agreed on Thursday to start talks with a major Muslim rebel group, marking a breakthrough in efforts to end a worsening conflict in the country's south that has claimed over 5,000 lives since 2004. The agreement, signed in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, by senior Thai security officials and members of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) group, opens the way for the first formal peace talks with rebels in the south. The document launches a "dialogue process" for peace in the southern border provinces. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. tourist who was missing in Peru sends greetings from military base Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 07:16 PM PST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - One of two California tourists in Peru feared by family to have been kidnapped sent home her first online greeting in a month on Wednesday, saying she and her boyfriend were safe on a military base, playing with a monkey and being treated like celebrities. The Facebook message was posted a day after the Peruvian government said Jamie Neal and her traveling companion, Garrett Hand, both 25, had surfaced on a riverboat in the Amazon, surprised to learn they were the subjects of an international search. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pentagon F-35 program chief lashes Lockheed, Pratt Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 07:00 PM PST  AVALON, Australia (Reuters) - The Pentagon program chief for the F-35 warplane slammed the main contractors on the program, Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney, accusing them of trying to "squeeze every nickel" out of the U.S. government and failing to see the long-term benefits of the project. U.S. Lieutenant General Christopher Bogdan made the comments on Wednesday during a visit to Australia, where he has sought to convince lawmakers and generals to stick to a plan to buy 100 of the jets, an exercise complicated by the second grounding of the plane this year and looming U.S. defense cuts. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N.'s Ban tones down criticism of Rwanda over Congo claims Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 06:45 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - In a special report to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon toned down criticism of Rwanda over accusations that it supports rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but still warned against external support for the revolt. A draft of Ban's report seen by Reuters on Monday had applauded states who suspended aid to Rwanda after U.N. experts, who monitor compliance with sanctions and an arms embargo on Congo, accused Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels in eastern Congo. ... Full Story | Top |
| Arkansas House overrides veto of late-term abortion ban Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 06:32 PM PST LITTLE ROCK, Ark (Reuters) - The Republican-controlled Arkansas House of Representatives on Wednesday overrode a veto by Democratic Governor Mike Beebe of a bill to ban most late-term abortions in the state at 20 weeks into pregnancy. The House voted 53-28 to override the veto, and the Republican-dominated state Senate was expected to vote on Thursday to override the veto as well. If that happens, Arkansas would join seven other U.S. states that restrict or ban abortions after the 20-week mark. ... Full Story | Top |
| Man who killed two California police officers was accused of sex crime Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 06:28 PM PST SANTA CRUZ, California (Reuters) - A gunman who killed two police officers in Northern California had been under investigation for sexual assault and shot the officers and stripped them of their firearms after they arrived at his home to question him, authorities said on Wednesday. Police said they later shot and killed the assailant, Jeremy Goulet, who had a criminal history, near the scene of the Tuesday afternoon exchange of gunfire with the two officers in Santa Cruz, California. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ohio students mark school shooting anniversary with wreaths, vigil Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 06:18 PM PST  CHARDON, Ohio (Reuters) - Students clad in red-and-black school colors walked a mile on Wednesday in a procession from Ohio's Chardon High School to lay wreaths in the town square, marking a year since a shooting rampage in which three former classmates were killed. Chardon, a small town about 40 miles east of Cleveland, was once known mainly for the county syrup festival, but along with communities in Connecticut, Colorado, Arkansas and Virginia, is now remembered for a school shooting spree. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House, Republicans dig in ahead of budget talks Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 06:02 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Positions hardened on Wednesday between U.S. President Barack Obama and Republican congressional leaders over the budget crisis even as they arranged to hold last-ditch talks to prevent harsh automatic spending cuts beginning this week. Looking resigned to the $85 billion in "sequestration" cuts starting on Friday, government agencies began reducing costs and spelling out to employees how furloughs will work. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senator Murkowski says will not back down in Alaska road fight Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 05:49 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Republican on the Senate Energy Committee said on Wednesday she would not back down in her drive to reverse a finding by the Interior Department that blocks construction of an emergency road for a remote Alaskan community. The fight threatens to hold up the White House's nomination of Sally Jewell as Interior Secretary. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she would use "every tool in her tool box," including placing a hold on Jewell's nomination, if the department does not allow the road to be built. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Senate approves Lew as Treasury chief Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 05:46 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Jack Lew as President Barack Obama's new Treasury secretary, putting the former White House chief of staff in the middle of political brawls over the government's budget. Senators backed Lew 71-26, with all 53 Democrats voting in favor. Lew's most pressing task will be to find a compromise to lessen the economic blow from $85 billion in government spending cuts set to kick in on Friday. But two more deadlines will quickly follow. Funds for most government operations expire on March 27, and the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. plans medical, food aid for Syrian rebel fighters: sources Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 05:26 PM PST  ROME (Reuters) - The United States plans to provide medical supplies and food to Syrian fighters, a policy shift to directly help those battling President Bashar al-Assad's forces on the ground, sources familiar with the matter said. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the United States continues to oppose providing lethal assistance and said it also will not provide such items as bullet-proof vests, armored-personnel vehicles and military training for now. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chinese owners give Nexen oil unit freedom to run operations Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 05:11 PM PST  CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Chinese oil company CNOOC Ltd , its takeover of Canada's Nexen Inc now complete, is giving the leader of the Canadian unit freedom to get operations running smoothly after an exhaustive seven-month acquisition process, CNOOC's CEO said on Wednesday. The deal, which boosts CNOOC's global oil and gas production by 20 percent and reserves by 30 percent, closed on Monday after clearing the final hurdle, sign-off by U.S. regulators. "This is a big deal. Nexen is a big organization. ... Full Story | Top |
| Battling a scandal, Britain's deputy PM under pressure in vote Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 05:06 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Fewer than 100,000 residents of an English town that hardly anyone outside Britain has heard of will vote on Thursday in an election that could help determine the political fate of the country's deputy prime minister and, ultimately, its government. The poll to choose a member of parliament for Eastleigh may prove make-or-break for Nick Clegg's leadership of the Liberal Democrats, the junior member of Britain's two-party coalition. "Most by-elections are events of only fleeting interest. Some are sufficiently dramatic to linger a while in the memory. Only a few truly matter. ... Full Story | Top |
| France's Hollande juggles trade, human rights in Moscow Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 05:04 PM PST  PARIS (Reuters) - President Francois Hollande wants to boost trade ties with Moscow and will have to balance that with French concerns over Russia's human rights record during a debut Moscow visit on Thursday that could prove a diplomatic obstacle course. An encounter in Paris last June between the newly elected Socialist Hollande and Russia's Vladimir Putin bristled with tension, unlike the cosy meetings between Putin and Hollande's conservative predecessors Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac. ... Full Story | Top |
| Asia rebalance remains U.S. priority amid fiscal woes: Pentagon Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 04:54 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration policy of shifting its security focus to the Asia-Pacific region will remain on track despite drastic U.S. budget cuts looming this week, the top Pentagon official for Asia said on Wednesday. In late 2011, the administration articulated a policy for a "pivot" or "rebalance" of its diplomatic and security focus to East Asia as it winds down wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. fiscal crisis has raised questions about the U.S. ability to follow through on these plans. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cities, counties say U.S. municipal bond tax changes would cost them billions Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 04:50 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Changes to the federal tax treatment of U.S. municipal bonds could cost state and local governments tens of billions of dollars per year, cities and counties warned on Wednesday as they escalated their fight to defend the bonds' tax exemption. The interest income that bondholders receive on the $3.7 trillion municipal bond market is not subject to federal income tax, allowing local issuers to tap capital markets more cheaply. For more than two years, President Barack Obama has suggested limiting that exemption to increase federal tax revenues. ... Full Story | Top |
| House Republicans seek to avoid potential government shutdown Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 04:49 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the House of Representatives are planning to put up for a vote next week a plan that avoids yet another nasty partisan budget fight, this time a potential shutdown of the government when the current temporary spending law runs out at the end of March. House Republican lawmakers said their caucus voiced strong support at a meeting on Wednesday for a stop-gap measure that would keep federal agencies and programs funded through the September 30 end of the fiscal year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Small U.S. printers face hit from government spending cuts: official Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 04:46 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Private printing presses are among the businesses that will be hit hard if Washington goes ahead with $85 billion in automatic federal spending cuts, a government official said on Wednesday. The U.S. Government Printing Office, the printing press for official documents, uses about 16,000 private vendors to carry out most of its work, which is due to shrivel if the "sequestration" cuts kick in on Friday. "Some vendors may have as much as 80 or 90 percent (government business)," Davita Vance-Cooks, the acting GPO director, told lawmakers on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Army says it faces "dire" financial situation as cuts loom Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 04:44 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior military budget officer said on Wednesday that converging financial pressures could leave the U.S. Army with just $2 billion to spend on operations, maintenance and training this year after it has funded the war in Afghanistan and other security needs. That is a fraction of what the Army usually spends to train soldiers, maintain bases, refurbish equipment and carry out overseas operations during a seven-month period and has created a "dire" and "unprecedented" outlook, said Major General Karen Dyson, director of the Army Budget Office. ... Full Story | Top |
| Excerpts from Pope Benedict's final address Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 04:17 PM PST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict bid an emotional farewell at his last general audience on Wednesday, acknowledging the "rough seas" that marked his papacy "when it seemed that the Lord was sleeping". Here are excerpts from his last address as pope to more than 150,000 people in St Peter's Square translated by Reuters from Italian: "I feel I am carrying all of you with me in prayer ... gathering together every meeting, every trip, every pastoral visit. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrians fleeing war likely to pass million soon: U.N. Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 04:16 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - More than 40,000 people a week are fleeing war-torn Syria and the total number of refugees will likely pass 1 million in less than a month, a senior U.N. official told the Security Council on Wednesday. U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said the U.N. agency as of Tuesday had registered 936,000 Syrians across the Middle East and North Africa, nearly 30 times as many people as April last year. "We expected to have 1.1 million Syrian refugees by June. If things continue to accelerate like this, it will take less than a month to reach that number. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate panel delays CIA nominee Brennan's confirmation vote Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 04:10 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate intelligence committee on Wednesday postponed until next week a vote on the confirmation of White House aide John Brennan to be CIA director, dashing hopes of Democratic leaders who had hoped to have a vote on Thursday. The committee's Republican vice chairman, Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, said the panel expects to hold the vote on Tuesday. No explanation for the delay was immediately available. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrians fleeing war likely to soon pass million soon: U.N. Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 03:52 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - More than 40,000 people a week are fleeing war-torn Syria and the total number of refugees will likely pass 1 million in less than a month, a senior U.N. official told the Security Council on Wednesday. U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said the U.N. agency as of Tuesday had registered 936,000 Syrians across the Middle East and North Africa, nearly 30 times as many people as April last year. "We expected to have 1.1 million Syrian refugees by June. If things continue to accelerate like this, it will take less than a month to reach that number. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate approves Lew as new Treasury chief Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 03:40 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Jack Lew as President Barack Obama's new Treasury secretary, putting the former White House chief of staff in the middle of a bitter political fight over the government's budget. Senators backed Lew with a 71-26 vote. All of the chamber's 53 Democrats voted for him. Some Republicans had expressed misgivings about Lew's perks from previous employers Citigroup and New York University. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. plans medical, food aid for Syria fighters: sources Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 03:26 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is expected to provide medical supplies and food aid to Syrian fighters, a policy shift to directly help those opposing President Bashar al-Assad's forces on the ground, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the United States continues to oppose providing lethal assistance and said it also will not provide such items as bullet-proof vests, armored-personnel vehicles and military training for now. A U.S. State Department spokeswoman traveling with U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pentagon says no additional cracks found in F-35 engines Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 03:18 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Wednesday that no additional cracks have been found on F-35 fighter engines during inspections begun after the February 19 incident that halted flights of the entire fighter fleet, and operation of the engines on the ground. Kyra Hawn, spokeswoman for the F-35 program office, said officials were continuing to investigate a cracked engine blade found on a test plane at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, with engineers at enginemaker Pratt & Whitney due to break open the affected engine blade for further study on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lawmakers raise concerns about Obama's drone policies Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 03:16 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee - Republicans and Democrats alike - expressed concern on Wednesday about U.S. drone strikes against American citizens and President Barack Obama's secrecy in laying out the legal justifications. The public congressional hearing on "drone-kill policy" was noteworthy: government officials refrained for years from even uttering the word "drone" when talking about the use of armed, pilotless aircraft because such operations were classified. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dog shoots man in Florida - maybe Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 02:59 PM PST MIAMI (Reuters) - Police added a dose of skepticism on Wednesday to a report about a man who says he was shot by his dog while driving down a Florida highway. Commander Steve Carr, a police spokesman in the central town of Sebring, where the shooting occurred on Saturday, said there were "some indications" the shooting victim may have made up his "dog shoots man" story. Gregory Lane Lanier, 35, told police he thought the 9mm Beretta semi-automatic handgun on the floor of his pickup truck was unloaded when the black and tan English bulldog kicked it and caused it to fire. ... Full Story | Top |
| Justice Department says wins $1 billion Dow tax shelter case Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 02:57 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday it has won a $1 billion tax shelter case against Dow Chemical Co that involved a Swiss partnership, Wall Street financial giant Goldman Sachs and international law firm King & Spalding. The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana rejected two tax shelter transactions entered into by the Dow Chemical Co "that purported to create approximately $1 billion in phony tax deductions," Justice said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Police say woman, 22, is "person of interest" in Vegas shooting Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 02:46 PM PST  (Reuters) - Police identified a 22-year-old woman on Tuesday as a "person of interest" in the slaying of an aspiring rapper who was shot and killed while driving his Maserati on the Las Vegas strip and for the deaths of two more people in a fiery crash that ensued. Las Vegas police said Tineesha Lashun Howard was riding in a black Range Rover with prime suspect Ammar Harris when he opened fire on the Maserati being driven by 27-year-old Kenneth Wayne Cherry Jr. before dawn on Thursday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada high court rules anti-gay pamphlets were hate speech Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 02:43 PM PST  TORONTO, Feb 27 (Canadian Lawyer) - In a ruling pitting freedom of expression against freedom of religion, the Supreme Court of Canada on Wednesday upheld Canada's hate speech laws, while striking down part of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code. The top court pared down the law, ruling that an expression that "ridicules, belittles or otherwise affronts the dignity of," as the Saskatchewan code sets out, "does not rise to the level of ardent and extreme feelings constituting hatred." That part of Saskatchewan's law goes too far and was ruled unconstitutional. ... Full Story | Top |
| Slovenia mandates new PM to halt dramatic decline Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 02:24 PM PST  LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Slovenia dismissed its conservative-led government on Wednesday and offered a center-left finance expert the task of halting the Alpine country's fall from post-communist star to euro zone bailout candidate. The 90-seat parliament voted 55-33 to dismiss Prime Minister Janez Jansa's ruling coalition after just a year of trying to navigate through the ex-Yugoslav republic's worst economic and political crisis in 22 years of independence. ... Full Story | Top |
| China likely to appoint expert on North Korea, Japan as foreign minister Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 02:23 PM PST  BEIJING (Reuters) - China is likely to appoint an expert on Japan and North Korea as its next foreign minister, three independent sources said, in a measure of Beijing's resolve to improve difficult relationships with two of its closest neighbors. Barring last-minute changes, Wang Yi, 59, China's ambassador to Japan from 2004 to 2007, was likely to be appointed foreign minister during the annual full session of parliament next month, the sources said. ... Full Story | Top |
| WikiLeaks soldier to take witness stand in own defense Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 02:19 PM PST  FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) - The U.S. Army intelligence officer accused of slipping military and diplomatic secrets to WikiLeaks is expected to take the witness stand on Thursday, when he will read aloud from a 35-page statement defending himself in the espionage case. Private First Class Bradley Manning was set to enter a formal plea to the 22 charges against him at a pre-trial hearing before a U.S. military judge. ... Full Story | Top |
| Victim's father makes case for U.S. assault weapons ban Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 02:17 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The father of a 6-year-old boy who was killed in the shooting massacre at a Connecticut school made a dramatic appeal on Wednesday for President Barack Obama's uphill bid to ban sales of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. Testifying before a divided U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Neil Heslin, whose son Jesse Lewis was murdered in the December 14 shootings that killed 20 children and six adults, joined an emergency room doctor in recalling the damage done by such a weapon. ... Full Story | Top |
| Business spending plans gauge hits 13-month high Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 02:13 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A gauge of planned U.S. business spending recorded its largest increase in more than a year in January, suggesting growing confidence in the durability of the economic recovery. The case for the economy's resilience was further bolstered by another report on Wednesday showing that contracts to buy previously owned homes approached a near three-year high last month. Housing is expected to underpin growth this year. Non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, jumped 6. ... Full Story | Top |
| Congress to consider bill to stop abusive patent lawsuits Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 02:11 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two Congressmen introduced a bill on Wednesday that would penalize companies that file frivolous patent infringement lawsuits, derided by critics as "patent trolls." Representatives Peter DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat, and Jason Chaffetz, a Republican from Utah, sponsored the bill, which would ensure a company bringing a frivolous patent lawsuit would pay all the costs and attorney fees associated with the case. "Patent trolls drained an estimated $29 billion from American innovators and companies in 2011," said DeFazio in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| FAA says it can't avoid air traffic controller furloughs Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 01:55 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration will have to begin furloughing air traffic controllers in early April because of a looming $627 million in automatic spending cuts, the head of the agency said on Wednesday, while Republican lawmakers argued there were other ways to handle the budget crunch. "We're looking at all options to reduce costs. We're looking at a hiring freeze, at cutting contracts and travel and other items not related to day-to-day operations," FAA administrator Michael Huerta told the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation Committee. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria opposition to seek military support at Rome meeting Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 01:50 PM PST AMMAN (Reuters) - The Syrian opposition will demand "qualitative military support" at talks with major powers in Rome this week to help in its struggle to oust President Bashar al-Assad, a leading Assad opponent said on Wednesday. The announcement during an interview with Reuters came after the United States said it would increase aid to the opposition in an effort to speed a political transition in Syria, now torn by civil war. ... Full Story | Top |
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