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| Foreclosure sales tumble in first quarter: RealtyTrac Wednesday, May 29, 2013 09:06 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sales of U.S. homes in foreclosure fell in the first quarter, a report from RealtyTrac showed on Thursday, the latest data to suggest the housing market is on the mend. There were 190,121 properties sold that were in the foreclosure process or already seized by lenders, down 18 percent from the last quarter of 2012 and a decrease of 22 percent from the first quarter the year before. That accounted for 21 percent of all home sales, down from 25 percent in the first quarter of 2012. ... Full Story | Top |
| Thailand's CP Foods says considered bidding for Smithfield Wednesday, May 29, 2013 09:01 PM PDT HONG KONG (Reuters) - Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc, controlled by Thai billionaire Dhanin Chearavanont, said on Thursday it had considered bidding for Smithfield Foods Inc. On Wednesday, China's privately-owned Shuanghui International agreed to buy Smithfield Foods for $4.7 billion in cash to feed growing Chinese appetite for U.S. pork, in a deal that has already stirred concern from U.S. politicians. CP Foods declined to give more details due to a non-disclosure agreement. (Reporting by Denny Thomas and Khettiya Jittapong; Editing by Ryan Woo) Full Story | Top |
| California's Democratic lawmakers push for tighter gun control Wednesday, May 29, 2013 09:00 PM PDT  By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - Democratic lawmakers in California, critical of Congress' failure to pass significant gun control legislation after mass shootings in Colorado and Connecticut last year, advanced a package of bills on Wednesday that would tighten a ban on semi-automatic firearms and further regulate ammunition sales. ... Full Story | Top |
| Civil rights group wants review of FBI shooting of Chechen man in Florida Wednesday, May 29, 2013 08:45 PM PDT  (Reuters) - A Muslim civil liberties group said on Wednesday it wants a review of the death of a Chechen immigrant linked to the Boston Marathon bombing suspects who was shot and killed by an FBI agent in Florida. The FBI has said that Ibragim Todashev, 27, was being questioned when he suddenly attacked an agent on May 22 at his Orlando condominium and was shot and killed based on the "imminent threat posed by the individual. ... Full Story | Top |
| California 12-year-old accused of killing sister denies charge in court Wednesday, May 29, 2013 08:03 PM PDT By Ronnie Cohen SAN ANDREAS, California (Reuters) - A 12-year-old boy accused of fatally stabbing his younger sister in a crime that traumatized their California town denied a second-degree murder charge through his attorney in juvenile court on Wednesday, and the boy's lawyer said he planned a vigorous defense. The boy, who is identified in court as Isaiah F., appeared in shackles and spoke only once during the proceeding in Calaveras County juvenile court when he agreed to continue to waive his right to a speedy trial. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama says Democrats could win back U.S. House in 2014 Wednesday, May 29, 2013 07:45 PM PDT  By Roberta Rampton CHICAGO (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, whose agenda has been frustrated by Republicans in Washington, said on Wednesday he believed his party could reclaim control of the House of Representatives in the 2014 midterm elections but conceded it was an uphill struggle. The party in power in the White House typically loses seats in the first midterm election after a presidential campaign, and many political analysts believe Democrats could lose seats in Congress in 2014. ... Full Story | Top |
| Threatening letters sent to New York mayor may contain ricin: police Wednesday, May 29, 2013 07:25 PM PDT  By Edith Honan and Chris Francescani NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two anonymous letters addressed to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his gun control group contained material believed to be the potentially deadly poison ricin, and referenced the debate on gun laws, police said on Wednesday. The New York Police Department said initial tests on the two letters, opened in New York on Friday and in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, indicated the presence of ricin. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senator John McCain confident of identifying 'good guys' in Syria Wednesday, May 29, 2013 07:06 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator John McCain said on Wednesday, two days after meeting with rebels in Syria, that he is confident the United States can send weapons to fighters in Syria without the risk they will fall into the wrong hands. "We can identify who these people are. We can help the right people," McCain said on CNN's program "Anderson Cooper 360." McCain, a Republican, is an outspoken advocate for U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Judge rejects legal challenges by accused Colorado theater gunman Wednesday, May 29, 2013 07:00 PM PDT  By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - A Colorado judge rejected challenges on Wednesday to the state's insanity defense statute and death penalty law by accused movie theater spree gunman James Holmes, resolving a key legal hurdle in the sensational case. Lawyers for Holmes, accused of killing 12 moviegoers and wounding dozens more in a rampage last July, had argued that the state's insanity law was unconstitutional because it forces their client to cooperate with court-appointed psychiatrists. ... Full Story | Top |
| Illinois judge resigns after charges of possessing heroin Wednesday, May 29, 2013 06:53 PM PDT By Brendan O'Brien (Reuters) - An Illinois judge resigned on Wednesday, days after he was charged in federal court with possession of heroin and weeks after a fellow judge died of a cocaine overdose while the two were on a hunting trip. Michael Cook submitted his resignation as a St. Clair County Circuit Court judge and is now undergoing treatment for drug abuse, said his attorney, Thomas Keefe. Cook has been involved with two drug-related incidents in recent months. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. soldier accused of killing Afghans in deal to avoid execution -lawyer Wednesday, May 29, 2013 06:48 PM PDT  By Eric M. Johnson SEATTLE (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians in two rampages from his Army post last year has reached a plea deal with prosecutors to avoid the death penalty, one of his lawyers said on Wednesday. Robert Bales, a decorated veteran of four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is accused of gunning down villagers, mostly women and children, in attacks on their family compounds in Kandahar province in March 2012. ... Full Story | Top |
| Florida executes man who raped and killed 10-year-old girl Wednesday, May 29, 2013 06:32 PM PDT MIAMI (Reuters) - A man convicted of raping and strangling a 10-year-old girl who lived next door to the halfway house where he resided more than 20 years ago was executed in Florida on Wednesday, a state prison official said. Elmer Leon Carroll, 56, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. EDT from a lethal injection at the Florida State Prison near Starke, said Ann Howard, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Corrections. Carroll was convicted in the 1990 murder of Christine McGowan. ... Full Story | Top |
| Top U.S. tax breaks to cost $12 trillion over decade, benefit wealthy: CBO Wednesday, May 29, 2013 05:52 PM PDT  By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top ten tax deductions, credits and exclusions will keep $12 trillion out of federal government coffers over the next decade, and several of them mainly benefit the wealthiest Americans, a new study from the Congressional Budget Office shows. The top 20 percent of income earners will reap more than half of the $900 billion in benefits from these tax breaks that will accrue in 2013, the non-partisan CBO said on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. congressmen in Russia on Boston bombing fact-finding mission Wednesday, May 29, 2013 05:43 PM PDT  MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. congressmen will meet security officials in Moscow this week to find out whether the FBI could have done more with Russian intelligence on the Boston bombing suspect to prevent the attack, one of the lawmakers said on Wednesday. U.S. President Barack Obama's administration and the intelligence community face scrutiny over criticism they failed to see the danger from Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his younger brother Dzhokhar - the prime suspects in the twin bombings that killed three people and injured over 170 at the Boston Marathon. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sprint, SoftBank agree to U.S. national security deal Wednesday, May 29, 2013 05:40 PM PDT  By Alina Selyukh (Reuters) - Sprint Nextel Corp and Japan's SoftBank Corp said on Wednesday they had reached a national security agreement with U.S. authorities, overcoming a major hurdle for the Japanese company's $20.1 billion bid to control the wireless carrier. Even with that approval, there are still a number of regulatory, congressional and investor hurdles facing SoftBank before it can close on its plan to break into the U.S. market. One influential U.S. senator said on Wednesday he was "carefully examining" the approval to see if it eased his security concerns. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. drone kills Pakistan Taliban No 2 : security officials Wednesday, May 29, 2013 05:34 PM PDT  By Jibran Ahmad PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A U.S. drone strike killed the No. 2 of the Pakistani Taliban in the North Waziristan region on Wednesday, three security officials said, in what would be a major blow to the militancy. The drone strike killed seven people, Pakistani security officials said, including Taliban deputy commander Wali-ur-Rehman, in the first such attack since a May 11 general election in which the use of the unmanned aircraft was a major issue. It was also the first reported U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Buddhist mobs attack Muslim homes in Myanmar, one dead Wednesday, May 29, 2013 05:31 PM PDT  By Jared Ferrie LASHIO, Myanmar (Reuters) - Security forces struggled to control Buddhist mobs who burned Muslim homes on Wednesday for a second day in the northern Myanmar city of Lashio in a dangerous widening of ultra-nationalist Buddhist violence. Scores of young men and boys on motorbikes and on foot marauded through the city of 130,000 people, some singing nationalist songs, a day after a mosque and religious school were torched. One person was killed and four were wounded in fighting, Ye Htut, spokesman for President Thein Sein, said in a Facebook post. ... Full Story | Top |
| Wife of Philadelphia abortion doctor sentenced to prison Wednesday, May 29, 2013 05:30 PM PDT By Dave Warner PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - The wife of a Philadelphia doctor convicted of murdering babies during late-term abortions was sentenced on Wednesday to up to 23 months in prison for helping her husband. Pearl Gosnell, 52, whose husband, Dr Kermit Gosnell, ran the now-shuttered Women's Medical Society clinic in Philadelphia, had pleaded guilty to performing an illegal abortion, being part of a corrupt organization and conspiracy. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama expected to pick James Comey as next FBI chief: source Wednesday, May 29, 2013 04:58 PM PDT  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is expected to nominate former Justice Department official James Comey as his next head of the FBI, a source said on Wednesday. If confirmed by the Senate, Comey, a Republican, would replace FBI Director Robert Mueller, who has led the agency since just before the September 11, 2001, attacks. Mueller is expected to step down this fall. The White House would not comment on Obama's decision but the source said Obama had been leaning toward Comey in recent days. It was unclear when an announcement would be made. ... Full Story | Top |
| Angry about immigration plan, some gay donors cut off Democrats Wednesday, May 29, 2013 04:57 PM PDT  By Rachelle Younglai WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some disappointed activists say they are yanking their support for the Democratic Party after Senate Democrats opposed a proposal in an immigration bill that would have allowed citizens to bring their foreign-born, same-sex spouses to the United States. Jonathan Lewis, a Miami philanthropist who donated more than $35,000 in 2012, has stopped giving and is urging others to do the same until President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats stop breaking promises to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. ... Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela furious at Colombia's meeting with opposition leader Wednesday, May 29, 2013 04:46 PM PDT  By Enrique Andres Pretel and Luis Jaime Acosta CARACAS/BOGOTA (Reuters) - Venezuela reacted with fury to Wednesday's talks between Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles, saying it was a "bomb" in ties and recalling an envoy to Colombia's peace process. Capriles met Santos in Bogota at the start of a tour around Latin America to press his case that last month's presidential poll in Venezuela was fraudulent and President Nicolas Maduro's government is therefore illegitimate. ... Full Story | Top |
| Congressman asks Justice Dept to investigate JPMorgan trading Wednesday, May 29, 2013 04:37 PM PDT  By David Sheppard NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Congressman on Wednesday called on the Department of Justice to investigate JPMorgan Chase & Co's power trading in Michigan, as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) considers whether to sanction the firm. Michigan Congressman Dan Kildee, a Democrat who sits on the Committee on Financial Services, said in a letter to the DoJ that it should pursue its own investigation into JPMorgan to see if it manipulated electricity markets. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York security guard accused of threatening to blow up high school Wednesday, May 29, 2013 04:29 PM PDT By Jonathan Allen NEW YORK (Reuters) - A high school security guard accused of threatening to blow up his school in suburban Nyack, New York, was ordered to court next month to face criminal charges, police said on Wednesday. Kenneth Carter, 51, was arrested at Nyack High School last Wednesday after a colleague told the school administration he vowed an attack, said a spokeswoman for the Clarkstown Police Department. He was apparently angry about an earlier disciplinary incident at the school, she said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Three Senegal women freed after rebel kidnapping Wednesday, May 29, 2013 04:28 PM PDT BISSAU (Reuters) - Three Senegalese women who work for a South African organization that cleared land mines and were kidnapped by separatist rebels in Senegal this month were handed over to authorities in neighbouring Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday. Twelve employees of demining firm Mechem were kidnapped by a faction of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance, which has waged a 31-year struggle for independence in Senegal's southern border with Guinea-Bissau. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. finds unapproved genetically modified wheat in Oregon Wednesday, May 29, 2013 04:20 PM PDT By Charles Abbott WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A strain of genetically engineered wheat never approved for sale or consumption was found sprouting on a farm in Oregon, the U.S. government said on Wednesday, and grain traders warned the discovery could hurt export prospects for U.S. wheat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported the discovery of a wheat variety developed years ago by biotechnology giant Monsanto Co to be resistant to its Roundup herbicide. It was never put into use because of worldwide opposition to genetically engineered wheat. ... Full Story | Top |
| Immigrants are net contributors to U.S. Medicare program : study Wednesday, May 29, 2013 04:17 PM PDT By Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Immigrants for years have paid far more into Medicare's coffers than they have pulled out, effectively subsidizing rising healthcare payments to the aging U.S. population, a study released on Wednesday showed. The analysis from Harvard Medical School showed immigrants generated a $13.8 billion surplus for the U.S. government healthcare program for the elderly in 2009, the most recent figures available. ... Full Story | Top |
| Morgan Stanley sues high-producing brokers for jump to Stifel Wednesday, May 29, 2013 04:15 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Morgan Stanley has asked an Idaho court to prohibit three brokers it says generated over half the revenue at its Coeur d'Alene branch from contacting former colleagues about joining them at a Stifel Nicolaus & Co. office they have set up in the same city The office's producing branch manager, Michael Armon, and two associates resigned from Morgan Stanley on May 9, causing "upset, anxiety, insecurity, uneasiness and concern" at "a relatively small office" that had only six advisers, according to a May 17 filing in U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Top US tax breaks to cost $12 trillion over decade, benefit wealthy : CBO Wednesday, May 29, 2013 04:06 PM PDT  By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top ten U.S. tax deductions, credits and exclusions will keep $12 trillion out of federal government coffers over the next decade, and several of them mainly benefit the wealthiest Americans, a new study from the Congressional Budget Office shows. The top 20 percent of income earners will reap more than half of the $900 billion in benefits from these tax breaks that will accrue in 2013, the non-partisan CBO said on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. soldier accused of killing Afghans reaches deal to avoid execution : lawyer Wednesday, May 29, 2013 03:42 PM PDT By Eric M. Johnson SEATTLE (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians in two rampages from his Army post last year has reached a plea deal with prosecutors to avoid the death penalty, one of his lawyers said on Wednesday. Robert Bales, a decorated veteran of four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is accused of gunning down villagers, mostly women and children, in attacks on their family compounds in Kandahar province in March 2012. ... Full Story | Top |
| Threatening letters sent to N.Y. Mayor may contain ricin : police Wednesday, May 29, 2013 03:41 PM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two letters addressed to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his gun control group contained material believed to be the deadly poison ricin, and referenced the debate on gun laws, police said on Wednesday. The New York Police Department said initial tests on the two letters, opened in New York on Friday and Washington, D.C. on Sunday, indicated the presence of ricin. Emergency workers who came in contact with the letters initially showed minor symptoms of ricin exposure, the police said. Those symptoms have since abated. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran set up terrorist networks in Latin America: Argentine prosecutor Wednesday, May 29, 2013 03:22 PM PDT  By Guido Nejamkis BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - An Argentine prosecutor accused Iran on Wednesday of establishing terrorist networks in Latin America dating back to the 1980s and said he would send his findings to courts in the affected countries. State prosecutor Alberto Nisman is investigating the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people. Argentine courts have long accused Iran of sponsoring the attack. Iran, which remains locked in a stand-off with world powers over its disputed nuclear program, denies links to the blast. ... Full Story | Top |
| Appeals court allows drug tests for some Florida state workers Wednesday, May 29, 2013 03:17 PM PDT  By Bill Cotterell TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - A federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday that Florida Governor Rick Scott cannot require all state employees to take random drug tests and told the state to identify which government workers it believes should undergo periodic testing. Scott, a Republican, issued an executive order in March 2011 ordering drug testing for all state employees, regardless of whether they were suspected of drug use, arguing the measure was similar to financial disclosures required for some workers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Foes of Newmont's $5 billion Peru mine in standoff with police Wednesday, May 29, 2013 03:03 PM PDT LIMA (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters were locked in a standoff with police in northern Peru on Wednesday as they vowed to stop Newmont Mining from transferring water from a lake to a reservoir as part of its $5 billion Conga gold project. Residents and local officials said it was the second straight day of tensions near the proposed mine that would be Peru's most expensive ever. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. regulators issue rules on workplace wellness programs Wednesday, May 29, 2013 02:54 PM PDT By Sharon Begley NEW YORK (Reuters) - Employees will be eligible for significantly lower premiums on the health insurance they buy through their employers if they participate in "workplace wellness programs," even if they don't improve their health, U.S. regulators said on Wednesday. The Affordable Care Act, signed into law in 2010, will allow U.S. employers to increase the rewards they offer employees who participate in workplace wellness programs. The goal is to improve employees' health by helping them quit smoking or achieve a healthy weight, and thereby control medical spending. ... Full Story | Top |
| Legal heat rises for Total's 'Big Moustache' in Iran bribery case Wednesday, May 29, 2013 02:52 PM PDT  By Michel Rose and Muriel Boselli PARIS (Reuters) - Total SA's Christophe de Margerie, who faces a possible trial over alleged bribes in Iran, has been dogged by legal investigations and market skepticism during his six years at the top of Europe's third-largest oil group. The 61-year-old, whose mandate expires in 2015, has so far failed to convince that he can deliver on a riskier exploration strategy. Currently trading at 39.4 euros, Total's stock is valued at 7. ... Full Story | Top |
| Safer mad cow rating could boost U.S. beef exports Wednesday, May 29, 2013 02:44 PM PDT By Ros Krasny WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has upgraded the United States' risk classification for mad cow disease to its safest level, which could increase U.S. beef exports, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Wednesday. The decision to rank the United States' risk as "negligible" instead of "controlled" came at the OIE's annual meeting in Paris. Its scientific arm earlier recommended the upgrade after reviewing U.S. safeguards. ... Full Story | Top |
| Under fire, conservative Bachmann calls it quits in U.S. Congress Wednesday, May 29, 2013 02:40 PM PDT  By John Whitesides WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Michele Bachmann, a Tea Party firebrand and 2012 presidential contender, announced on Wednesday she will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives but said her surprise decision had nothing to do with multiple investigations into her campaign finances. Bachmann, a conservative Minnesota Republican whose outspoken style and sharp criticism of President Barack Obama made her a prominent and polarizing national figure, did not give a specific reason for stepping down. ... Full Story | Top |
| Total settles U.S. bribe probe for $398 million; CEO may be tried Wednesday, May 29, 2013 02:40 PM PDT  By Muriel Boselli and Jonathan Stempel PARIS/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Total SA agreed to pay $398.2 million to settle U.S. criminal and civil allegations that it paid bribes to win oil and gas contracts in Iran, and a French prosecutor has recommended that the company and its chief executive be brought to trial in its home country. France's largest oil producer on Wednesday agreed with the U.S. Department of Justice to enter a deferred prosecution agreement and pay a $245.2 million fine to resolve three charges that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. ... Full Story | Top |
| Struggling Korean builders tell employees to show loyalty: buy apartments Wednesday, May 29, 2013 02:35 PM PDT  By Ju-min Park GOYANG, South Korea (Reuters) - Five years after the global financial crisis, South Korean construction workers are feeling the pinch more than ever as they shoulder a mountain of debt from a real estate bust that has cast a long shadow on the country's growth prospects. Facing the specter of bankruptcy, some construction firms persuaded their staff to take up loans to mop up unsold apartments. "There was pressure. ... Full Story | Top |
| Republicans challenge U.S. attorney general on leak testimony Wednesday, May 29, 2013 02:30 PM PDT  By Lawrence Hurley and David Ingram WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two Republican lawmakers asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday to clarify testimony he gave Congress this month about his role in the targeting of journalists in a leak probe. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia and colleague James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin sent a letter to Holder saying recent media reports "appear to be at odds with your sworn testimony. ... Full Story | Top |
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