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| Driver shot dead in car chase near Capitol Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 09:04 PM PDT  By Richard Cowan and Margaret Chadbourn WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A dramatic car chase through the streets of Washington from near the White House to the U.S. Capitol ended in gunfire on Thursday when law enforcement officers shot and killed the driver as lawmakers and aides huddled in a lockdown. The incident rattled Washington less than three weeks after a government contractor opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard, about 1.5 miles from the Capitol, killing 12 people and wounding three others before he was shot to death by police. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ex-Tyco CFO Mark Swartz granted parole Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 08:53 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Tyco International Ltd's former chief financial officer, Mark Swartz, who is serving a prison sentence for bilking the company, has been granted parole by the New York parole board, his lawyer told Reuters. Swartz, who was convicted of grand larceny and securities fraud in 2005, is expected to be released in January. "Mark has been granted parole. He is grateful for this result and looks forward to resuming life with his incredible family," Swartz attorney Charles Stillman told Reuters. Swartz was chief financial officer of the industrial conglomerate from 1995 through 2002. ... Full Story | Top |
| California governor signs law expanding protections for journalists Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 08:43 PM PDT  By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - California Governor Jerry Brown signed a law on Thursday to give journalists in the state five days' notice before government agencies serve subpoenas on their records held by third parties, such as phone companies and internet service providers. The law, which was approved by unanimous votes in the California Assembly and Senate, expands on the state's existing shield law for journalists and will apply to subpoenas sought in state courts. The California law comes after two cases earlier this year that sparked debate about whether the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brazil electoral court rejects new opposition party Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 08:12 PM PDT  By Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) - In a decision that could boost President Dilma Rousseff's chances of re-election next year, Brazil's electoral court ruled on Thursday that her main potential rival failed to gather enough signatures to register her new party in time. Environmentalist Marina Silva has until Saturday to decide whether to run on the ticket of an existing party to make her second bid for president next October. The court ruled 6-1 against the creation of her party, called the Sustainability Network, because it fell short of the required 492,000 signatures. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama cancels visits to Indonesia, Brunei due to U.S. government shutdown Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 07:59 PM PDT  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama canceled plans to attend summits in Indonesia and Brunei on Thursday, bowing to the reality that the political impasse over the U.S. government shutdown requires him to remain in Washington. The decision means Obama will no longer depart on Saturday for what had originally been a four-nation, week-long Asia trip. He had canceled visits to Malaysia and the Philippines earlier this week because of his budget struggle with Republicans in Congress. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. shutdown seen dragging on as debt ceiling fight nears Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 07:46 PM PDT  By Mark Felsenthal and Richard Cowan (Reuters) - The shutdown of the U.S. government appeared likely to drag on for another week and possibly longer as lawmakers consumed day three of the shutdown with a stalling game and there was no end in sight until the next crisis hits Washington around October 17. Bowing to the reality that the impasse requires him to remain in Washington, President Barack Obama canceled plans to attend summits in Indonesia and Brunei next week. Earlier this week, he canceled visits to Malaysia and the Philippines because of the shutdown. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Japan casinos would get Vegas-style regulator under legalization plan Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 07:11 PM PDT By Nathan Layne TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan would establish an independent gaming regulator modeled on the authorities that police casinos in Las Vegas and Singapore under a draft plan to legalize gambling in a market seen as potentially the second-largest in the world. The policy outline, which was prepared by Japanese lawmakers who favor casinos and reviewed by Reuters, outlines broad standards for licensing and regulating casino operators and their partners. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boy, 14, held in shooting deaths of two men at Oregon hunting camp Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 06:46 PM PDT By Jonathan Kaminsky (Reuters) - A 14-year-old boy allegedly shot and killed two men at a remote deer hunting cabin in northeastern Oregon, authorities said Thursday, before accidentally shooting himself in the leg while attempting to flee. Grant County Sheriff's deputies went to the private camp outside the town of Granite early Thursday morning and found two men dead and the boy duct-taped to a chair by another camp occupant, Sheriff Glenn Palmer said in a written statement. Both the 14-year-old and the victims, aged 43 and 64, were from the Baker City area of Oregon. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama's Asia trip: Should he stay or should he go? Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 06:34 PM PDT  By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With Washington paralyzed by a government shutdown, time is running out for President Barack Obama to decide whether to leave the stalemate behind and fly halfway around the world to attend two international summits in Indonesia and Brunei. On Thursday, the White House was still officially hoping the shutdown would end quickly, allowing Obama to avoid having to choose between looking after things at home, or advancing his trade and foreign policy goals in Asia on a trip beginning on Saturday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Illegal immigrants can get driver's licenses under new California law Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 06:29 PM PDT By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - Illegal immigrants living in California will be eligible to apply for driver's licenses under a law signed on Thursday by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, in the latest action to expand privileges for such immigrants in the most populous U.S. state. The legislation marks a major victory for Latino and other immigration rights activists, who have fought for decades for such a law. The state says it is expected to spur 1.4 million people to apply for licenses over three years. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: U.S. default seems unthinkable but investors have options Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 06:18 PM PDT  By Steven C. Johnson and Jennifer Ablan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors who behave conventionally are likely to get burned if the political standoff over the federal budget and the debt ceiling ends up forcing the United States to default. But portfolio managers and strategists say that if investors put their trading hats on, they may be able to protect themselves and even possibly come out ahead. "The next two weeks could cause a lot of pain in many portfolios," said Mark Yusko, CEO and chief investment officer at Morgan Creek Capital Management, LLC, in New York. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fatal crash renews debate over future of historic California airport Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 06:00 PM PDT By Steve Gorman and Dana Feldman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The fatal crash-landing of a small business jet at Santa Monica airport has reignited a debate over safety at the historic Los Angeles-area aviation hub, which local politicians and homeowners have fought for years to scale back or close. Critics of the 86-year-old facility, where various Hollywood celebrities and show business executives keep their private planes, have pointed to the wreck as a wake-up call to hazards they say the airport poses to densely populated adjacent communities. ... Full Story | Top |
| Adobe says source code, customer data stolen by hackers Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 05:41 PM PDT  By Joseph Menn BOSTON (Reuters) - Adobe Systems Inc said on Thursday that hackers had stolen source code to some of its most popular software and data about millions of its customers. Security experts worry about the theft of source code because close review of the programs can lead to the discovery of new flaws that can be used to launch hard-to-detect attacks against all users of that software. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. judge says Argentina debt swap plan violates court order Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 05:39 PM PDT  By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - Argentina's proposal to use a debt swap to pay some of its creditors would violate a U.S. court injunction, a judge in New York said on Thursday. The order by U.S. District Judge Thomas Griesa came in response to a proposal in August by Argentine President Cristina Fernandez that would enable her government to keep paying creditors who participated in restructurings after the country's $100 billion default in 2002. Argentina's government proposed allowing a voluntary swap of foreign debt in exchange for bonds governed by local law after a U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italian Senate committee likely to start Berlusconi expulsion process Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 05:12 PM PDT  By James Mackenzie ROME (Reuters) - An Italian Senate committee is likely to start a process on Friday to expel Silvio Berlusconi from parliament following his conviction for tax fraud, meaning the former prime minister's fate could be sealed within weeks. Berlusconi, who has dominated Italian politics for two decades, brushed off suggestions that his parliamentary career might soon be over after the conviction and an aborted attempt to topple the government. "I think this is the result of a well constructed plan to remove the leader of the center-right," said the 77-year-old billionaire. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. government workers, lawmakers witness Washington police chase Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 05:03 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Peter Plocki, on furlough from his job at the Department of Transportation while the U.S. government is shut down, packed a lunch on Thursday and intended to spend time picnicking near the Capitol and visiting the Supreme Court. Instead, Plocki witnessed the tail end of a high-speed car chase that terrified tourists and members of Congress as shots rang out across the Capitol lawn. At the end, a woman was killed and a 1-year-old child rescued from the car by Capitol Police, who helped transport an injured officer to a local hospital. ... Full Story | Top |
| Soccer-Russia says FIFA investigator Garcia unwelcome Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 05:02 PM PDT By Steve Gutterman MOSCOW, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Russia made clear on Thursday that FIFA's chief investigator Michael Garcia is barred from entering the country because he is one of the Americans blacklisted in a bitter dispute with the United States over human rights. Garcia is stepping up his inquiry into voting procedures for the 2018 and 2022 soccer World Cups. He plans to visit every country directly involved in the voting for the finals awarded to Russia for 2018 and Qatar for 2022. But Garcia, a former U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Michael Jackson verdict hinged on wording of key question to jury Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 04:55 PM PDT  By Eric Kelsey LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After testimony from nearly five dozen witnesses during a five-month trial, the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of the late pop star Michael Jackson hinged on the jury's interpretation of one question on the verdict form. Was the physician convicted in 2011 of involuntary manslaughter in the singer's death, Conrad Murray, "unfit or incompetent to perform the work for which he was hired?" That question was the second in a series of 16 posed to the jury as the case was turned over to the 12-member panel for deliberations last week. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. allows non-emergency personnel to return to Beirut embassy Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 04:47 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said Thursday that its non-emergency staff could return to work at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, which was evacuated last month because of potential security threats. At the same time, the department warned that the environment in Lebanon remains volatile, and urged U.S. citizens to avoid traveling there. "The potential for a spontaneous upsurge in violence remains," the State Department said. "Lebanese government authorities are not able to guarantee protection for citizens or visitors to the country should violence erupt suddenly. ... Full Story | Top |
| Driver shot dead in dramatic car chase at U.S. Capitol Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 04:32 PM PDT By Richard Cowan and Margaret Chadbourn WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A dramatic car chase through the streets of Washington from near the White House to the U.S. Capitol ended in gunfire on Thursday when law enforcement officers shot and killed the driver as lawmakers and aides huddled in a lockdown. The identity of the driver - a woman - was not released. "The suspect in the vehicle was struck by gunfire and at this point has been pronounced (dead)," Washington's police chief, Cathy Lanier, told reporters. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. capital can't pay for Medicaid during shutdown Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 04:27 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington, D.C., officials said on Thursday the U.S. capital was not able to pay hospitals, long-term care providers and other organizations that participate in the Medicaid healthcare program for the poor during the federal budget shutdown. Since the District of Columbia is a local government without a state, the U.S. Congress authorizes its budget when it approves the federal budget. Congress has been locked in a budget stalemate that allowed the federal government to shut down Tuesday at the start of the fiscal year. That meant the city cannot spend any of the $2. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mark Cuban tells jury unaware offering confidential when sold shares Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 04:13 PM PDT  By Jana J. Pruet DALLAS (Reuters) - Mark Cuban, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, told jurors at his insider trading trial he was angry when he learned an Internet company he invested in was planning an equity offering but was not told the information was confidential before he sold his shares in the firm. Cuban was called to testify on Thursday by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which accused him of dumping his $7.9 million worth of shares in Montreal-based Internet search company Mamma. ... Full Story | Top |
| Calif. city official, symbol of greed, pleads no contest Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 04:13 PM PDT By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The former city manager of the California city of Bell, who became an emblem of local government corruption when it was revealed in 2010 that he was earning a salary of nearly $800,000, abruptly pleaded no contest on Thursday to charges ranging from perjury to misappropriating public funds. Robert Rizzo, 56, entered his pleas less than a week before jury selection was scheduled to begin in his high-profile public corruption trial and without cutting a deal with prosecutors, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Timeline: Twitter: from side project to sociocultural sensation Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 03:55 PM PDT By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter, the 140-character messaging service favored by everyone from the Pope to U.S. President Barack Obama, began as a side-project but rapidly morphed into one of the most powerful social and cultural media forces of our time. After eight years of explosive user growth marred by persistent technical challenges and management shake-ups, Twitter is now preparing to go public in Silicon Valley's largest initial public offering since Facebook Inc's last year. March 21, 2006: Co-founder Jack Dorsey sends the first tweet: "just setting up my twttr. ... Full Story | Top |
| With Obamacare systems still slow, backlog builds among the uninsured Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 03:50 PM PDT  By David Morgan and Curtis Skinner WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Americans trying to find out how much health coverage will cost under Obamacare endured a third day of limited access to new online health insurance exchanges on Thursday, leading to a growing backlog of people waiting to enter the system. Health clinics and other nonprofit groups that offer in-person assistance reported unexpectedly high numbers of walk-in visits and phone calls from potential enrollees, who were unable to enter federal and state marketplace websites that were overwhelmed by millions of online hits. ... Full Story | Top |
| Wendy Davis, known for pro-choice filibuster, runs for Texas governor Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 03:50 PM PDT  By Marice Richter HALTOM CITY, Texas (Reuters) - Wendy Davis, the Texas state senator who staged a filibuster against sweeping abortion restrictions, announced on Thursday that she would run for governor of the state. "Texas is a place where we aim high and we take big risks," Davis told hundreds of cheering supporters at a rally outside Fort Worth. "We're builders, and doers, leaders, and dreamers. We love Texas, not only for how good it is, but for how great we know it can be. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. judge blocks New York credit card surcharge law Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 03:43 PM PDT By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - In a decision with possible broad implications for U.S. consumers and retailers, a federal judge has blocked enforcement of a New York state law that bans merchants from imposing surcharges on customers who pay by credit card rather than cash. Supporters of the decision by U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said it could make it easier for retailers to transact with customers, and make customers better understand the costs of making purchases with credit cards. ... Full Story | Top |
| Migrant workers rounded up in pre-Olympic Sochi: rights group Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 03:31 PM PDT By Steve Gutterman MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian authorities have detained hundreds of migrant workers in Sochi, the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics, and have held many of them in "arbitrary and inhuman conditions", Human Rights Watch said on Thursday. Many of those detained in a wave of raids on work sites, homes and public places since early September helped build venues or infrastructure for the Games being held in the Black Sea resort city in February, the advocacy group said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Restaurants, bars, skydiving company offer 'Furlough Freebies' Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 03:31 PM PDT  By Victoria Cavaliere (Reuters) - There are consolation prizes for some of the 800,000 federal workers finding themselves without paychecks during the government shutdown - discounts and freebies. Across the United States, restaurants, bars, gyms and even a skydiving company were offering price breaks to furloughed workers, promoting the deals on social media such as Twitter. Hyundai, the Korean carmaker, said it would defer car payments due from federal employees who are home without pay during the shutdown, which started on Tuesday after Congress failed to reach a budget deal. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tunisian man extradited to U.S. in NATO base attack case Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 03:29 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Tunisian man who served 10 years in a Belgian prison for planning to attack a NATO air base on behalf of al Qaeda was extradited to the United States on Thursday to face similar U.S. charges, the Justice Department said. Nizar Trabelsi, 43, was arrested in Belgium two days after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and was convicted by a Belgian court in 2003 of plotting to blow himself up at the Kleine Brogel base, which housed U.S. soldiers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Washington car chase suspect was shot dead: police chief Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 03:27 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The suspect who drove her car into a barricade near the White House on Thursday and led police on a chase across central Washington was shot dead by law enforcement agents near the U.S. Capitol, the city's police chief said. "The suspect in the vehicle was struck by gunfire and at this point has been pronounced (dead)," Cathy Lanier told reporters. She gave no further details about the suspect. Congress was put on lock down for about an hour immediately after the incident. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by David Storey) Full Story | Top |
| U.S. labor machinery frozen by government shutdown Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 03:21 PM PDT By Carlyn Kolker and Amanda Becker (Reuters) - The federal government shutdown has begun to paralyze the legal machinery that governs many of the relationships between U.S. employers and workers. The National Labor Relations Board, which reviews labor disputes and oversees union elections, is down to just 11 employees - with the other 1,600 sent home. Phones are going unanswered and some websites are frozen because of the shutdown, now in its third day. ... Full Story | Top |
| NY court finds 'invasive' penile stimulation test unjustified Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 03:19 PM PDT By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - A man convicted of failing to register as a sex offender cannot be forced to undergo penile stimulation tests to determine how likely he is to commit future crimes, a federal appeals court in New York ruled on Thursday. The procedure, known as penile plethysmography, has been imposed in some sex crime cases as a condition of post-conviction release, in part to estimate the likelihood of recidivism. But some experts question its reliability. The 2nd U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. sanctions Rwanda, others over child soldiers Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 03:11 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States moved to block U.S. military aid to Rwanda because of its support for the M23 Congolese rebel group believed to use child soldiers, the State Department said on Thursday. The sanctions also apply to the Central African Republic, Myanmar, Sudan and Syria, according to the U.S. State Department. It was unclear whether those nations receive U.S. military assistance. "Our goal is to work with countries who have been listed to ensure that any involvement in child soldiers - any involvement in the recruitment of child soldiers - stop," U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Despite shutdown, U.S. Congress saves Iraqi interpreter visa program Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 03:08 PM PDT By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers took a break from bitter debate over government spending to save a program granting special visas to civilian interpreters who risked their lives to work for the American military in Iraq, sending it to the White House on Thursday for President Barack Obama's signature. The House of Representatives and the Senate passed by unanimous voice votes a measure that extended the Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa program for three months. Lawmakers said they expected Obama would sign the extension into law shortly. ... Full Story | Top |
| Loose monetary policy needed to counter Washington gridlock: Fed officials Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 03:05 PM PDT  By Deena Beasley and Karen Jacobs SAN DIEGO/ATLANTA (Reuters) - U.S. monetary policy is being kept easier to help offset the harm caused by political fighting in Washington, according to two senior Federal Reserve officials who warned on Thursday of damaging consequences if the nation defaults on its debt. Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Dennis Lockhart said the disquiet resulting from the budget battle "vindicated" the Fed's surprise decision not to scale back its asset purchases at its meeting last month. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. hints Iran could get some sanctions relief if takes steps Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 03:00 PM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed and Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - WASHINGTON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - The United States held out the possibility on Thursday of giving Iran some short-term sanctions relief in return for concrete steps to slow uranium enrichment and shed light on its nuclear program. Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, the lead U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel to run for U.N. Security Council seat for 2019-20 Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 02:59 PM PDT  By Dan Williams NEW YORK (Reuters) - Israel said on Thursday it plans to run for a rotating seat on the U.N. Security Council for the time ever for 2019-2020, although U.N. diplomats said it will not be easy for the Jewish state to win. "We're going all out to win," Israel's U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor told Reuters. "It's about time." Winning a Security Council seat requires a two-thirds majority in the 193-nation General Assembly. Candidates are proposed by the five regional groups but election to the council is done by the full assembly. ... Full Story | Top |
| Actress Mia Farrow says Frank Sinatra could be father of her son Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 02:49 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Singer Frank Sinatra was the great love of actress Mia Farrow's life and could "possibly" be the father of her son Ronan Farrow, the actress said in an interview published on Wednesday. Ronan, a 25-year-old Rhodes scholar and human rights activist, is thought to be the biological son of Farrow and Oscar-winning director Woody Allen. But when asked in an interview with Vanity Fair magazine if her former husband Sinatra could be Ronan's father, Farrow, the star of 1968's "Rosemary's Baby" said, "Possibly. ... Full Story | Top |
| Adobe says customer data, source code accessed in cyber attack Thursday, Oct 03, 2013 02:37 PM PDT BOSTON (Reuters) - Adobe Systems Inc said on Thursday it was the victim of sophisticated cyber attacks on its networks by hackers who accessed data belonging to millions of customers along with the source code to some of its popular software titles. Chief Security Officer Brad Arkin said in a statement that the company believes the attackers accessed Adobe customer IDs and encrypted passwords and removed data relating to 2.9 million Adobe customers. That information includes customer names, encrypted payment card numbers, expiration dates and information relating to orders, he said. ... Full Story | Top |
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