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| Arizona governor vetoes bill making gold, silver legal tender Thursday, May 02, 2013 09:02 PM PDT  By Tim Gaynor PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona Governor Jan Brewer vetoed a measure on Thursday that would have made gold and silver legal tender in the state, saying the legislation could have resulted in lost tax revenue. The Republican-controlled state legislature voted through the measure last month in a response to what backers said was a lack of confidence in the international monetary system. The bill called for Arizona to make gold and silver coins and bullion legal tender beginning in mid-2014, joining existing U.S. currency issued by the federal government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Samsung, BlackBerry devices cleared for use on U.S. defense networks Thursday, May 02, 2013 08:41 PM PDT  By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Thursday cleared BlackBerry and Samsung mobile devices for use on Defense Department networks, a step toward opening up the military to a wide variety of technology equipment makers while still ensuring communications security. Lieutenant Colonel Damien Pickart, a Pentagon spokesman, said the department cleared the use of BlackBerry 10 smart phones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets using its Enterprise Service 10 system, as well as Samsung's Android Knox. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. seeks North Korean amnesty for American jailed for 15 years Thursday, May 02, 2013 08:19 PM PDT  By Ju-min Park and Paul Eckert SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea sentenced an American citizen to 15 years of hard labor on Thursday for what it said were crimes against the state, prompting the United States to call for his immediate release to keep him from becoming a bargaining chip between the two countries. Kenneth Bae, 44, was born in South Korea but is a naturalized U.S. citizen and studied psychology for two years at the University of Oregon. His sentencing comes after two months of saber-rattling that saw North Korea threaten the United States and South Korea with nuclear war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Los Angeles launches probe of alleged 'patient dumping' by Nevada Thursday, May 02, 2013 08:05 PM PDT By Ronnie Cohen SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Nevada health officials acknowledged on Thursday that a state-run hospital improperly bused 10 newly discharged psychiatric patients out of the state with deficient plans for their care, while Los Angeles launched a criminal probe into the alleged "patient dumping." Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital has been under fire since last month, after a Sacramento Bee investigative series reported that hospital staff gave as many as 1,500 patients one-way Greyhound bus tickets from Las Vegas to California and 46 other states over the past five years. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea could reach U.S. with nuclear arms: Pentagon Thursday, May 02, 2013 07:20 PM PDT  By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea's continuing development of nuclear technology and long-range ballistic missiles will move it closer to its stated goal of being able to hit the United States with an atomic weapon, a new Pentagon report to Congress said on Thursday. The report, the first version of an annual Pentagon assessment required by law, said Pyongyang's Taepodong-2 missile, with continued development, might ultimately be able to reach parts of the United States carrying a nuclear payload if configured as an intercontinental ballistic missile. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boston bombing suspects had planned July 4 attack Thursday, May 02, 2013 07:18 PM PDT  By Ross Kerber, Jim Finkle and Mark Hosenball BOSTON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The two brothers suspected of carrying out the deadly attacks on the Boston Marathon had originally planned to set off their bombs on July 4, a law enforcement official said. The official said the suspects, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, advanced the date of their attack because they completed building bombs more quickly then they originally anticipated. The official declined to be identified and did not offer more details. ... Full Story | Top |
| Alaska-based soldier to serve nearly 12 years for killing fellow soldier Thursday, May 02, 2013 07:13 PM PDT By Yereth Rosen ANCHORAGE (Reuters) - A U.S. Army soldier was sentenced on Thursday to nearly 12 years in a military prison for shooting and killing a fellow soldier early on Christmas Day, officials said. Army Specialist Marshall Drake, stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, shoGrant Wis Private Grant Wise in the face in what military prosecutors described as an alcohol-fueled joke that went awry. Drake was convicted and sentenced in a military proceeding held Wednesday and Thursday on the Anchorage base. ... Full Story | Top |
| Guatemala declares emergency in four towns to quell mining protests Thursday, May 02, 2013 07:00 PM PDT  GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala declared an emergency in four southeastern towns on Thursday, suspending citizens' constitutional rights in an area where deadly protests over a proposed silver mine have erupted in recent weeks. Guatemalan President Otto Perez announced the move in an effort to quell protests targeting the mine belonging to Canadian miner Tahoe Resources Inc. Two people have been killed in the demonstrations. The company's security guards shot and wounded six demonstrators on Saturday, said Mauricio Lopez, Guatemala's security minister. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. attorney general says Kansas gun law is unconstitutional Thursday, May 02, 2013 06:46 PM PDT  By Kevin Murphy KANSAS CITY, Kansas (Reuters) - A recently enacted law in Kansas intended to block enforcement of federal gun regulations is unconstitutional, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder wrote in a letter released on Thursday. The law, which seeks to keep guns or ammunition from being subject to any federal regulation - as long they are kept in Kansas - directly conflicts with federal law, Holder wrote in the April 26 letter to Kansas Governor Sam Brownback. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tear gas fired as Egyptian Islamists target security HQ Thursday, May 02, 2013 06:42 PM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian security forces fired tear gas to disperse a small group of hardline Islamist protesters who were attempting to scale the walls of the state security headquarters in a Cairo suburb late Thursday night. Around 2,000 protesters from several Salafi Islamist groups had staged a protest earlier on Thursday night outside the security headquarters against what they said was a return to the force's pre-revolution methods. After security forces fired tear gas, the remaining protesters, some of whom had also attempted to break into a nearby police officers' club, left the ... Full Story | Top |
| Rhode Island lawmakers pass gay marriage bill; governor signs it Thursday, May 02, 2013 06:32 PM PDT  By Edith Honan (Reuters) - Rhode Island lawmakers gave final approval to a bill to legalize gay marriage on Thursday, making it the 10th U.S. state to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples and the last of the six New England states to do so. Governor Lincoln Chafee, an independent, signed the bill into law almost immediately after the vote on Thursday. The new law will take effect on August 1. "We would not be where we are today without the Rhode Islanders who for decades have fought for tolerance and freedom over discrimination and division," Chafee said. ... Full Story | Top |
| UKIP beats Conservatives into third place in vote Thursday, May 02, 2013 06:21 PM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - The Labour party won an election for a single parliamentary seat in northern England on Friday, but the anti-European Union UK Independence Party (UKIP) came second, pushing Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives into third place. The result underlined the threat that UKIP, which wants Britain to leave the EU and an end to "open-door immigration", poses to the Conservatives and other parties ahead of a national election in 2015 and could renew pressure on Cameron's leadership. ... Full Story | Top |
| Anti-EU group beats British PM's party into third place in vote Thursday, May 02, 2013 06:20 PM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour party won an election for a single parliamentary seat in northern England on Friday, but the anti-European Union UK Independence Party (UKIP) came second, pushing Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives into third place. The result underlined the threat that UKIP, which wants Britain to leave the EU and an end to "open-door immigration", poses to the Conservatives and other parties ahead of a national election in 2015 and could renew pressure on Cameron's leadership. ... Full Story | Top |
| Togo man pleads guilty in New York after Taliban drug sting Thursday, May 02, 2013 06:18 PM PDT By Jonathan Allen NEW YORK (Reuters) - One of seven men arrested in a sting operation for allegedly selling drugs to people they believed were Taliban militants pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the United States. Francis Sourou Ahissou, a 48-year-old citizen of Togo in West Africa, entered a guilty plea in Manhattan federal court as part of a plea deal with the government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama blesses Mexican security plan, eyes deeper business ties Thursday, May 02, 2013 06:05 PM PDT  By Mark Felsenthal and Steve Holland MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama gave his blessing on Thursday to a new security arrangement with Mexican leader Enrique Pena Nieto, in which Mexico will make reducing violence a priority over hunting drug cartel kingpins in the war against organized crime. The two presidents said they also want to step up trade and business ties that have been overshadowed by the battle against drug trafficking. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. sues owner of nation's biggest for-profit hospice chain Thursday, May 02, 2013 06:02 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department is suing Chemed Corp and its hospice subsidiaries, including the biggest U.S. for-profit hospice chain, alleging false billings for Medicare hospice services. The government said on Thursday that its complaint accuses Chemed and its leading hospice subsidiary, Vitas Hospice Services, of being involved in the submission of false claims for crisis care services that proved to be unnecessary, were never actually provided or failed to meet Medicare requirements. ... Full Story | Top |
| Amount of fertilizer at Texas plant that exploded still a mystery Thursday, May 02, 2013 06:01 PM PDT  By Lisa Maria Garza WEST, Texas (Reuters) - Two weeks after 14 people were killed when a Texas fertilizer plant exploded, investigators searching through the charred rubble said they still do not know how much fertilizer was at the plant, including potentially dangerous ammonium nitrate. Investigators said on Thursday they have not yet determined the cause of the explosion on April 17, which flattened a section of the town of West, Texas, and also injured some 200 people. They hope to have a preliminary finding on the cause by May 10, said Chris Connealy, Texas fire marshal. ... Full Story | Top |
| Australia backs F-35 fighter jets in new defense strategy Thursday, May 02, 2013 05:41 PM PDT  By James Grubel CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia committed to long-term plans to buy up to 100 Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 Joint Strike Fighters as part of its new defense strategy on Friday, easing concerns about the future of the controversial fighter from a major foreign buyer. Canberra, a close U.S. ally, would also buy 12 Boeing Co EA-18G electronic attack planes, modified versions of the 24 Super Hornets already equipping Australia's air force, as a stopgap until the F-35 is delivered. ... Full Story | Top |
| New Zealand's internet bad boy wants to see top U.S. lawman Thursday, May 02, 2013 05:40 PM PDT  By David Ingram and Naomi Tajitsu WASHINGTON/WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A trip to New Zealand will put America's chief prosecutor on the same soil as a flashy internet mogul who is fighting extradition to the United States on charges he assisted massive piracy of copyrighted movies and music. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder visits New Zealand next week for an annual meeting of a "quintet" of attorneys general from mostly English-speaking countries - and not to meet up with the entrepreneur Kim Dotcom. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jury convicts two aides of New York City mayoral hopeful Thursday, May 02, 2013 05:28 PM PDT  By Jonathan Allen NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal jury on Thursday convicted two former fundraising associates of John Liu, a Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City, a setback in his attempt to emerge from a crowded field to succeed Michael Bloomberg as mayor later this year. Jia Hou, the Liu campaign's former treasurer who is also known as Jenny, was found guilty of three of four counts against her; she was cleared of the fourth count. Xing Wu Pan, a fundraiser for the candidate also known as Oliver, was found guilty of both counts against him. U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| NRA to meet in Texas after gun control blocked in U.S. Congress Thursday, May 02, 2013 05:26 PM PDT  By Corrie MacLaggan AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of National Rifle Association members gather in Houston this weekend for the first time since the U.S. Senate rejected a plan to expand background checks for gun buyers, but NRA officials said attendees would not sit back to celebrate victory. "We view it as an opening battle in what will be a multi-year war," said Andrew Arulanandam, a spokesman for the NRA, which lobbied against the proposal. "We're definitely not resting on our laurels. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Navy launches new squadron of manned, unmanned helicopters Thursday, May 02, 2013 05:25 PM PDT  By Marty Graham CORONADO, California (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy introduced its first squadron that combines combat helicopters with unmanned aerial vehicles at an air base near San Diego on Thursday, calling the approach the future of warfare. The squadron of about 140 sailors, called the Magicians, will work off coastal combat ships that are smaller and faster than destroyers and aircraft carriers. "We've been using multimillion dollar destroyers to chase Somali pirates," Admiral David Buss said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela opposition challenges Maduro's win in court Thursday, May 02, 2013 05:17 PM PDT  By Brian Ellsworth and Diego Ore CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles challenged President Nicolas Maduro's narrow election victory before the Supreme Court on Thursday, prolonging what appears to be a futile effort to overturn last month's vote. Capriles refused to accept the results of the April 14 vote for a successor to late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, and called on supporters to take the streets. That led to unruly demonstrations in which the government says nine people died. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama comfortable with FDA decision to let 15-year-olds buy morning-after pill Thursday, May 02, 2013 05:08 PM PDT  By Steve Holland MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Thursday he is comfortable with a U.S. government agency's decision to allow over-the-counter purchases of a morning-after pill for anyone 15 and older. Some critics have complained girls that young should not be allowed to purchase the pills without a doctor's approval. But Obama told a news conference in Mexico City that the decision was based on "solid scientific evidence." The U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Number of names on U.S. counter-terrorism database jumps Thursday, May 02, 2013 05:06 PM PDT By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of names on a highly classified U.S. central database used to track suspected terrorists has jumped to 875,000 from 540,000 only five years ago, a U.S. official familiar with the matter said. Among those was suspected Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, whose name was added in 2011. The increase in names is due in part to security agencies using the system more in the wake of the failed 2009 attack on a plane by "underpants bomber" Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab in Detroit. ... Full Story | Top |
| Court jails supporters of black-clad Egypt protest group Thursday, May 02, 2013 04:56 PM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Six men were jailed by a Cairo court on Thursday in the first ruling against a little-known group opposed to Islamist President Mohamed Mursi that the government has accused of participating in "terrorist acts". State security prosecution last month ordered the detention of the men it said were Black Bloc members on accusations that the group seeks the destruction of the country, Egyptian state news agency MENA reported at the time. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rhode Island lawmakers pass gay marriage bill; governor to sign it Thursday, May 02, 2013 04:54 PM PDT By Edith Honan (Reuters) - Rhode Island lawmakers gave final approval to a bill to legalize gay marriage on Thursday, making it the 10th U.S. state to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples and the last of the six New England states to do so. Governor Lincoln Chafee, an independent, signed the bill into law almost immediately after the vote on Thursday. The new law will take effect on August 1. "We would not be where we are today without the Rhode Islanders who for decades have fought for tolerance and freedom over discrimination and division," Chafee said. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. head, Security Council envoys discuss Syria as mediator wants out Thursday, May 02, 2013 04:51 PM PDT By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and ambassadors from the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China discussed on Thursday "possible diplomatic moves to end" the Syria conflict after U.N. diplomats said mediator Lakhdar Brahimi was determined to quit. Diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said Brahimi wanted to resign from the joint U.N.-Arab League role because he is frustrated with international deadlock over how to end Syria's two-year civil war, which has killed 70,000. ... Full Story | Top |
| Florida lawmakers pass bill to limit state-run property insurance Thursday, May 02, 2013 04:50 PM PDT  By Bill Cotterell TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - The Florida Senate sent Governor Rick Scott a bill on Thursday designed to reduce the state's exposure to catastrophic financial losses from a hurricane by gradually steering homeowners away from the state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. The Senate had earlier backed a tougher bill that would have charged new Citizens enrollees much higher premiums, but it backed down after the House of Representatives passed its own measure protecting consumers from price hikes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Body of Boston Marathon bombing suspect claimed Thursday, May 02, 2013 04:49 PM PDT  By Ross Kerber and Jim Finkle BOSTON (Reuters) - The body of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was claimed on behalf of his family on Thursday, an official said. Tsarnaev's body had been kept at a Boston facility for more than a week after he was killed in a shootout with police on April 19, four days after the attack on the Boston Marathon that killed three people and wounded 264 people. Terrel Harris, a spokesman for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Massachusetts, said a funeral services company retained by the family had claimed the body. ... Full Story | Top |
| Treasury chief to meet with Wall Street executives Thursday, May 02, 2013 04:46 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will meet with Wall Street and business executives in New York on Thursday evening to discuss issues, including how to strengthen the U.S. economic recovery and further reduce the deficit, an official said. The dinner meeting in New York includes JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon, hedge fund manager John Paulson, Blackstone Group LP CEO Stephen Schwartzman and others, according to a person attending. Lew, 57, has spent his first few weeks as Treasury chief on international travel, in congressional hearings and on other ... Full Story | Top |
| Boston bomb suspects originally planned July 4 attack Thursday, May 02, 2013 04:43 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The brothers suspected of the Boston Marathon bombings had originally planned to carry out the attack on July 4 this year, a law enforcement official said. But the Tsarnaev brothers decided to strike earlier because they completed building their bombs more quickly than expected, the official said. (Reporting by Mark Hosenball; Editing by Alistair Bell and Eric Walsh) Full Story | Top |
| For India's ruling party, a rare state election win is likely Thursday, May 02, 2013 04:40 PM PDT By Aradhana Aravindan BANGALORE (Reuters) - Crony capitalism, plunder of resources and corruption in government are usually issues India's main opposition party loves to talk about, but not in the southern state of Karnataka, where it faces elections after five chaotic years in power. Polls show the centrist Congress party, which heads the national government, is likely to win the Karnataka elections on Sunday, after what critics say is shoddy governance by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state. ... Full Story | Top |
| Residents of bankrupt California city launch council recall Thursday, May 02, 2013 04:39 PM PDT  By Tim Reid LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Up in arms against the leadership it blames for San Bernardino's bankruptcy, a group of business people and residents on Thursday launched a campaign to recall the California city's council, mayor and city attorney. The group, looking for a "clean sweep" inside crisis-hit San Bernardino, presented its initiative on the steps of City Hall before a crowd of residents and local media. ... Full Story | Top |
| BlackBerry devices approved for use on Department of Defense Thursday, May 02, 2013 04:12 PM PDT  (Reuters) - BlackBerry said Department of Defense (DoD) has approved its new line of devices powered by the revamped BlackBerry 10 operating system to be used on DoD networks. The approval allows all Department of Defense customers to use the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 smartphones, and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets on DoD networks. This comes after a Pentagon spokesperson said on Wednesday that the Pentagon is expected to clear Apple Inc, Samsung and BlackBerry mobile devices for use on Defense Department networks in the next few weeks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Surprise Bank of Canada chief stands ready to nurture economy Thursday, May 02, 2013 04:07 PM PDT  By Louise Egan and Randall Palmer OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada tapped an outsider on Thursday to head its central bank, bringing in the well-respected head of the Canadian export credit agency, who immediately stressed the need to nurture a choppy economic recovery. Incoming Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz, 57, worked at the central bank for 14 years earlier in his career. But he has spent the last 14 years at Export Development Canada. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. rethinking its opposition to arming Syrian rebels: Hagel Thursday, May 02, 2013 04:06 PM PDT  By Phil Stewart and David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is rethinking its opposition to arming the Syrian rebels, President Barack Obama's defense chief said on Thursday, even as Obama himself signaled that no decision to deepen U.S. involvement in the conflict was imminent. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel cautioned that giving weapons to the forces fighting President Bashar al-Assad was only one option being considered by the United States. It carries the risk of arms finding their way into the hands of anti-American extremists among the insurgents, such as the Nusra Front. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Doubling U.S. exports remains a distant dream for Obama Thursday, May 02, 2013 03:49 PM PDT  By Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama reminded the world on Thursday of the lofty goal set early in his presidency to double American exports over five years. It looks like he won't deliver. Trade data published earlier in the day underscored the uphill battle faced by the administration. Weakness in the global economy is knocking down demand for U.S. exports, which rose just 3 percent in the 12 months through March. At that pace, Obama's mission won't be accomplished until around 2024, nearly a decade later than promised. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight: As economy flounders, Vietnam banks on debt cleanup Thursday, May 02, 2013 03:47 PM PDT  By Martin Petty HANOI (Reuters) - When Nguyen Manh Hung's furniture company Phuc Luc was bustling, orders flew in from wealthy Vietnamese who sought his hand-crafted beds, cabinets and tables, netting him $25,000 a month after costs and wages for 35 staff. Two years later, hurt by the slump in Vietnam's economy, business in his Hanoi shop is crumbling. Hung is hemorrhaging about $4,000 a month even after slicing costs to the bone and idling 30 workers he could no longer afford to pay. "I just need a few customers to stay afloat, but the ones I have, they've cancelled orders," Hung says. ... Full Story | Top |
| Guatemalan judge reopens genocide trial of Rios Montt Thursday, May 02, 2013 03:46 PM PDT  By Mike McDonald GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - A Guatemalan judge on Thursday restarted the genocide trial of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt following a two-week suspension due to a fight over who should oversee the case. Judge Yasmin Barrios resumed the trial from the point at which it abruptly stopped on April 19, accepting video evidence from the defense set to have been presented last month. "We are continuing with the trial of Jose Efrain Rios Montt for genocide and crimes against humanity," she told the court. ... Full Story | Top |
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