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| U.S. military court overturns Marine's conviction in Iraqi's death Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 09:09 PM PDT By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The highest U.S. military appeals court on Wednesday overturned the murder conviction of a Marine sergeant found guilty in 2007 of leading a squad in Iraq that was accused of killing a civilian they had captured, bound and gagged. Three judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces found Sergeant Lawrence Hutchins gave a statement to a U.S. Navy investigator while in custody that should have been ruled inadmissible and tainted his court-martial. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rudd sworn in as Australian prime minister after overthrowing Gillard Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 09:03 PM PDT  By James Grubel CANBERRA (Reuters) - Kevin Rudd was sworn in as Australian prime minister for the second time on Thursday, a day after toppling Julia Gillard and three months out from scheduled elections with polls suggesting the ruling Labor Party is staring at a devastating defeat. Rudd's resurrection as prime minister comes after three years of bitter infighting within the Labor leadership and as the world's 12th largest economy faces challenges from a slowdown in top trade partner China. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ex-Kleiner partner wins bid to keep discrimination case in public eye Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 08:51 PM PDT By Sarah McBride SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A high-profile Silicon Valley sex discrimination lawsuit moved closer to a trial after a panel of justices ruled that venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers cannot take a former partner's claims to arbitration. The suit, which pits former partner Ellen Pao against one of Silicon Valley's most storied venture firms, alleges harassment, discrimination and retaliation. It became the talk of the Valley last year with its references to an affair and its allegations - denied by the firm - of sexual advances and sexist behavior. ... Full Story | Top |
| Four-year hacking spree in South Korea blamed on 'Dark Seoul Gang' Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 08:38 PM PDT By Jim Finkle BOSTON (Reuters) - Researchers with U.S. security software maker Symantec Corp say they have uncovered digital evidence that links cyber attacks on South Korea dating back four years to a single hacking group dubbed the "Dark Seoul Gang." Eric Chien, technical director with Symantec Security Response, said late on Wednesday that his firm made the connection while reviewing malicious software code used to launch attacks that disrupted some South Korean government websites earlier in the week. He said that the evidence did not uncover the identity of the gang members. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mongolian president wins second term amid focus on mining curbs Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 08:32 PM PDT  ULAN BATOR (Reuters) - Mongolia's incumbent president, Tsakhia Elbegdorj, who wants more controls on foreign mining investments, has emerged as the winner of Wednesday's polls with a narrow majority of votes cast, the country's election commission said on Thursday. Elbegdorj, 50, who has served as president since 2009, was the overwhelming favorite in the contest, played out amid worries about Mongolia's faltering economy as well as the growing role of foreign mining firms. The commission said Elbegdorj got 50. ... Full Story | Top |
| Special Report: Myanmar gives official blessing to anti-Muslim monks Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 08:15 PM PDT  By Andrew R.C. Marshall YANGON (Reuters) - The Buddhist extremist movement in Myanmar, known as 969, portrays itself as a grassroots creed. Its chief proponent, a monk named Wirathu, was once jailed by the former military junta for anti-Muslim violence and once called himself the "Burmese bin Laden." But a Reuters examination traces 969's origins to an official in the dictatorship that once ran Myanmar, and which is the direct predecessor of today's reformist government. ... Full Story | Top |
| The 969 catechism Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 08:05 PM PDT YANGON (Reuters) - Wimala Biwuntha is a pint-sized monk with boyish features who could barely see over the lectern during his recent sermon to a mesmerized crowd at a Yangon monastery. Yet his stature in Myanmar grows daily, thanks to his stark message to fellow Buddhists: "We are digging our own graves." Wimala's sermon in the low-rent suburb of Insein was billed as an "introduction to the Buddhist logo". To warm up the crowd, a catchy pop tune called "Song to Whip Up Religious Blood" was played at high volume on a continuous loop on the monastery's loudspeakers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Across U.S., Supreme Court gay rights ruling celebrated Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 07:52 PM PDT By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) - With cheers, tears and kisses, gays and lesbians across the United States celebrated Wednesday's historic Supreme Court decision in support of same-sex marriage, which provided cause for joy after years of protest. Crowds turned out in gay capitals such as West Hollywood in California, San Francisco, South Miami Beach in Florida and the New York gay bar called the Stonewall Inn, seen as the birthplace of the gay rights movement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tunisia frees three Europeans jailed for topless feminist protest Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 07:42 PM PDT  By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - A Tunisian court on Wednesday decided to release three European feminist activists who staged a topless protest in Tunis last month against the Islamist-led government. The release of the three women -- one German and two French members the women's rights group, Femen -- could ease the anger of the European Union, Tunisia's main economic ally. They were sentenced to four months in jail for indecency earlier this month after their May 29 protest to call for the release of fellow activist Tunisian Amina Tyler. Tyler, 18, remains in custody, awaiting trial. ... Full Story | Top |
| Venezuelan government says recording proves opposition plots Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 07:28 PM PDT  By Enrique Andres Pretel and Daniel Wallis CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's government released a recording on Wednesday of a well-known opposition lawmaker apparently criticizing the head of the opposition coalition and accusing him of meeting U.S. officials to provoke a crisis in the OPEC nation. In the latest of a string of secretly-made recordings that have roiled politics in the South American country in recent months, the new tape was of female legislator Maria Corina Machado talking to a local academic. ... Full Story | Top |
| Supreme Court ruling sets stage for more legal wrangling in California Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 07:11 PM PDT By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California's attorney general said same-sex weddings would resume statewide within weeks, if not sooner, despite further litigation threatened by opponents after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday paved the way for gay marriages in the state. The high court refused to hear an appeal by gay marriage opponents of a lower-court opinion overturning a 2008 voter-approved state constitutional amendment, known as Proposition 8, that defined marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman. ... Full Story | Top |
| Texas executes first woman in U.S. in nearly three years Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 06:59 PM PDT By Lisa Maria Garza DALLAS (Reuters) - Texas on Wednesday executed by lethal injection a woman convicted of stabbing her elderly neighbor to death in 1997, the first U.S. execution of a woman in nearly three years, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said. Kimberly McCarthy, 52, was pronounced dead at 6:37 p.m. CDT (2337 GMT) at a Texas state prison in Huntsville, the department said. She was convicted of killing Dorothy Booth, 71, in 1997, cutting off her ring finger and stealing a diamond ring that she then pawned. ... Full Story | Top |
| Texas governor mounts new bid for abortion restrictions Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 06:51 PM PDT  By Corrie MacLaggan AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry on Wednesday launched another battle to pass sweeping abortion restrictions after a marathon speech by a Democrat lawmaker briefly halted a bill critics say could shut most abortion clinics in one of the nation's biggest states. Democratic Senator Wendy Davis, once a teenage mother who went on to earn a Harvard Law degree, was propelled on to the national political stage when she spoke for more than 10 hours to block a measure that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. ... Full Story | Top |
| Europe strikes deal to push cost of bank failure on investors Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 06:46 PM PDT  By John O'Donnell and Robin Emmott BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union agreed on Thursday to force investors and wealthy savers to share the costs of future bank failures, moving closer to drawing a line under years of taxpayer-funded bailouts that have prompted public outrage. After seven hours of late-night talks, finance ministers from the bloc's 27 countries emerged with a blueprint to close or salvage banks in trouble. The plan stipulates that shareholders, bondholders and depositors with more than 100,000 euros ($132,000) should share the burden of saving a bank. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's Mursi offers to listen, opponents unimpressed Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 06:14 PM PDT  By Yasmine Saleh and Alastair Macdonald CAIRO (Reuters) - President Mohamed Mursi offered opponents a say in amending Egypt's constitution, but railed against "enemies" he accused of undermining the new democracy in a defiant speech ahead of mass protests planned to demand that he step down. As the Islamist head of state ended a marathon televised address early on Thursday, liberals said they had heard nothing new, including any offer to include them in committees to draft institutional reforms and study "national reconciliation". ... Full Story | Top |
| Tennessee man charged with extortion in Romney tax return scheme Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 05:53 PM PDT By Douwe Miedema WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Tennessee man was charged with attempting to extort $1 million during last year's election by threatening to release former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's tax returns that he falsely claimed he had stolen, the Department of Justice said on Wednesday. Michael Mancil Brown, 34, was indicted on six counts of wire fraud and six counts of extortion in U.S. District Court in Tennessee, the agency said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Trayvon Martin was followed by 'creepy' man, witness tells murder trial Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 05:50 PM PDT  By Tom Brown and Barbara Liston SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - Shortly before he was fatally shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer, unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin complained about a "creepy" man who seemed to be hunting him down, a key witness testified at George Zimmerman's murder trial on Wednesday. Rachel Jeantel, 19, whose identity had been a closely guarded secret until her appearance in court, said she was on the phone with Martin for several minutes while he tried to evade Zimmerman. "Get off!, Get off!," were Martin's last words, before the line went dead, Jeantel testified. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. to retire most chimpanzees from medical research Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 05:50 PM PDT By Matt Haldane WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. National Institutes of Health said on Wednesday it is reducing the number of chimpanzees it uses in biomedical research and will retire most of them to sanctuaries, a decision applauded by animal rights groups. "Chimpanzees are very special animals ... We believe they deserve special consideration," said NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins, announcing the move. The decision followed a recommendation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in January. ... Full Story | Top |
| Texas executes woman, first in U.S. in nearly three years Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 05:28 PM PDT (Reuters) - Texas on Wednesday executed by lethal injection a woman convicted of stabbing her elderly neighbor to death in 1997, the first U.S. execution of a woman in nearly three years, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said. Kimberly McCarthy, 52, was pronounced dead at 6:37 p.m. CDT (2337 GMT) at a Texas state prison, the department said. She was convicted of killing Dorothy Booth, 71, in 1997, cutting off her ring finger and stealing a diamond ring that she then pawned. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Supreme Court in no rush to grant national gay-marriage right Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 05:13 PM PDT  By Joan Biskupic WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When the U.S. Supreme Court declined on Wednesday to rule on whether gay men and lesbians have a fundamental right to marry, it delivered an implicit message to those seeking such a right: Don't hurry back. All nine of the justices, with their votes and rhetoric in a pair of cases, signaled they either would never be willing, or are not ready yet, to cut off the unfolding state-by-state legislative debate on gay marriage. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fresh protests in Brazil despite government concessions Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 04:55 PM PDT  By Anthony Boadle and Tatiana Ramil BRASILIA/BELO HORIZONTE (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets on Wednesday in new demonstrations calling for a crackdown on corruption and better public services, just a day after Congress ceded to some of the key demands galvanizing protests across the country. In Belo Horizonte, authorities said 40,000 people gathered to demand improved education and healthcare as Brazil's third-largest city hosted a Confederations Cup semi-final soccer game between Brazil and Uruguay in a warm-up for the 2014 World Cup. ... Full Story | Top |
| Torrential rains prompt flood warnings in Midwest Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 04:53 PM PDT By Mary Wisniewski CHICAGO (Reuters) - Torrential rains slammed Illinois and other Midwest states on Wednesday, triggering flash flood warnings and causing flight cancellations, commuter train delays and road closings. Up to 5 inches of rain fell in some places and the National Weather Service warned residents in the region to brace for more downpours and possibly severe thunderstorms Wednesday night. The weather service issued multiple flash flood and flood warnings for counties in northern Illinois, northwestern Indiana and southeastern Wisconsin. ... Full Story | Top |
| Snowden still at airport, Ecuador asylum decision could take months Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 04:44 PM PDT  By Alessandra Prentice and Steve Gutterman MOSCOW (Reuters) - A former U.S. spy agency contractor facing charges of espionage remained in hiding at a Moscow airport on Wednesday while the prospect grew of a protracted wrangle over his fate. Ecuador, where Edward Snowden has requested asylum, said a decision could take months and asked Washington to argue its case for extradition. Russia said Snowden, whose flight is proving a growing embarrassment for President Barack Obama, was still in the transit area of Sheremetyevo airport. A leading U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Michael Jackson's son testifies singer was unhappy with promoter Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 04:44 PM PDT  By Brandon Lowrey LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Jackson's eldest son testified on Wednesday in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by his family against AEG Live that the late pop star was unhappy with the concert promoter in the run-up to his "This Is It" concert series in 2009. Prince Jackson, 16, said he saw his father often get upset on the phone with AEG Live Chief Executive Officer Randy Phillips, but was unable to stand up for himself in disagreements. "He would get off the phone, he would cry sometimes," Prince told jurors in a Los Angeles courtroom about his father. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. judge throws out Abu Ghraib detainees' torture case Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 04:37 PM PDT  By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - CACI International Inc has won the dismissal of a lawsuit accusing it of conspiring to torture detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, as the defense contractor benefited from a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision over alleged human rights abuses on foreign soil. In a decision made public on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee in Alexandria, Virginia said he lacked jurisdiction to hear claims brought by the four Iraqi plaintiffs under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), and separate claims by one plaintiff that he said were barred under Iraqi law. ... Full Story | Top |
| Supreme Court gay marriage decision helps immigration bill Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 04:13 PM PDT By Rachelle Younglai WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senators who wanted a gay rights provision added to the sweeping U.S. immigration reform bill backed off on Wednesday after the Supreme Court struck down a key part of the federal law that defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The decision removes one of the last obstacles for the Senate to pass the legislation that would overhaul the country's immigration system and give millions of illegal immigrants a chance to earn citizenship over 13 years. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate backs border amendment to immigration bill Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 04:13 PM PDT  By Richard Cowan and Thomas Ferraro WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About $46 billion in border security was added on Wednesday to a comprehensive immigration bill headed toward bipartisan passage in the U.S. Senate, but Republicans in the House of Representatives voiced strong opposition. The Democratic-led Senate is expected to approve the White House-backed bill on Thursday or Friday and send it to the House, which likely will not even bring it up for a vote, largely because of resistance to a proposed pathway to citizenship for up to 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. ... Full Story | Top |
| Judge narrows Greenberg lawsuit versus U.S. over AIG bailout Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 04:11 PM PDT  By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - A federal judge has allowed former American International Group Inc Chief Executive Maurice "Hank" Greenberg to continue his multibillion dollar lawsuit against the United States over the insurer's bailout, but took away some of his claims. Judge Thomas Wheeler of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims said Greenberg's Starr International Co may pursue claims over the government's taking of a 79.9 percent stake in AIG in September 2008 and a separate 1-for-20 reverse stock split in June 2009. ... Full Story | Top |
| Queen scores record profit from booming London property Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 04:05 PM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Crown Estate - owned by Queen Elizabeth - on Thursday said it made record profit in the year to March, thanks to the strong performance of its central London properties. Crown Estate's 5.2 percent rise in profits to 252.6 million pounds gives the queen a 38 million pounds 2014/15 payout, pegged at 15 percent of the total by a 2012 law designed to link her income to the UK's economic health. The rest of the profits go to Britain's Treasury or finance ministry. Chancellor George Osborne on Wednesday detailed 11.5 billion pounds of spending cuts. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. tax writers to propose a controversial tax code revamp Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 03:59 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Democrat and Republican tax-writers in the Senate will propose a revamp of the tax code on Thursday that challenges their colleagues to justify retaining some of the country's most cherished tax breaks. Democrat Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and top panel Republican Orrin Hatch, will challenge fellow lawmakers in a "dear colleague" letter, according to a senior Republican aide, who could not speak for attribution. They will propose to cut tax rates with most tax breaks wiped out and ask their colleagues to justify putting them back in. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. military chief recommends bolstering Lebanon, Iraq forces Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 03:57 PM PDT  By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. military officer said on Wednesday he has recommended bolstering Lebanese forces grappling with the fallout from Syria's civil war by sending in military trainers and accelerating arms sales. General Martin Dempsey also said he had recommended helping Iraq better deal with the re-emergence of al Qaeda. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mursi invites parties to amend constitution Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 03:52 PM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi said on Wednesday he was forming an all-party committee to propose amendments to the constitution and was inviting party leaders to start work on it on Thursday. The move to address complaints about the constitution, pushed through a referendum by Mursi and his Islamist supporters against vocal complaints from the opposition, appeared to be a key point in his speech and seemed to address a call from the army for political factions to forge a new consensus. Mursi also said he would form a second committee to work on "national reconciliation". ... Full Story | Top |
| Mursi offers constitution change before protests Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 03:52 PM PDT By Alastair Macdonald and Yasmine Saleh CAIRO (Reuters) - President Mohamed Mursi offered opponents a say on Wednesday in amending a controversial new constitution and a forum to seek "national reconciliation", as he sought to avert a violent showdown in the streets. In a televised address lasting more than two and a half hours, the Islamist head of state blamed loyalists of fallen dictator Hosni Mubarak for the "paralysis" that has marked his first year in office but also offered an olive branch to opponents that also seemed to address demands from the army. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt to try six Israelis in absentia for spying Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 03:52 PM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian state security prosecutor said on Wednesday he had ordered six Israelis and three Egyptians to be tried for spying. In a statement, he said the six Israelis and one Egyptian would be tried in absentia, along with two Egyptians now in custody, on charges of espionage for Israel. The Israeli suspects include four intelligence officers who Egyptian authorities say had recruited the Egyptians to spy for them, a source in the prosecutor's office said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cosmo plans Obamacare focus for U.S. readers this fall Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 03:49 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Obamacare doesn't divulge the secrets of sexual arousal and won't give you the glowing complexion of a goddess. But those shortcomings aside, President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare reform law will still feature prominently in forthcoming issues of the Cosmopolitan - the sexy, gossipy, glamour magazine that boasts a monthly U.S. readership of more than 18 million young women. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. senator says Snowden case risks Ecuador trade status Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 03:44 PM PDT By Doug Palmer and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Wednesday he would seek to end preferential treatment for Ecuadorean goods if the South American nation offers political asylum to fugitive former spy agency contractor Edward Snowden. Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the foreign relations panel, warned in a statement that accepting Snowden "would severely jeopardize" preferential trade access the United States provides to Ecuador under two programs that are up for renewal in Congress. ... Full Story | Top |
| Australia to swear in Rudd as PM, Bowen as Treasurer Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 03:41 PM PDT  CANBERRA (Reuters) - Kevin Rudd will be sworn in as Australian prime minister at 9.30 a.m. on Thursday (2330 GMT Wednesday), with Chris Bowen to be sworn in as treasurer, the office of Governor-General Quentin Bryce said on Thursday. Rudd toppled Julia Gillard on Wednesday, taking back the top job with an election due within three months and with the party's poll standing in the doldrums. (Reporting by Lincoln Feast in Sydney; Editing by Eric Beech) Full Story | Top |
| BP steps up spill payments protest with ad campaign Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 03:34 PM PDT  By Andrew Callus LONDON (Reuters) - BP has stepped up its campaign for a revision of the way compensation for its 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill is calculated by placing advertisements in leading newspapers ahead of a July 8 appellate court hearing in the United States. The British oil company's advertisements in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post are part of its attempt to put a lid on payments. The company has said that without relief it could be "irreparably harmed" by payouts. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mandela still critical, Zuma cancels Mozambique trip Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 03:29 PM PDT By Ed Cropley JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African President Jacob Zuma canceled a trip to neighboring Mozambique on Thursday, intensifying speculation about a deterioration in the health of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, who remains critically ill in hospital. Zuma made his decision not to leave the country after visiting the 94-year-old late on Wednesday in the Pretoria hospital where he has been receiving treatment for a lung infection for nearly three weeks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Accounting board seeks 'going concern' self-test for US firms Wednesday, Jun 26, 2013 03:28 PM PDT By Dena Aubin NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. companies would have to regularly assess their ability to continue as a going concern under a proposal issued on Wednesday by accounting rule-makers, an attempt to ensure investors get timelier warnings when companies get in trouble. The proposal from the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board calls for companies to evaluate each quarter their ability to survive as a going concern, or stay afloat and pay its obligations. Currently, the company's auditors are primarily responsible for making this evaluation. ... Full Story | Top |
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