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| Factbox: Highlights of Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 08:18 PM PST (Reuters) - The following are highlights from U.S. President Barack Obama's State of the Union address in Washington on Tuesday. JOBS AND THE ECONOMY To help Americans prepare for retirement, Obama will use executive authority to create a "starter" retirement savings account available through employers for workers who can afford to save only small amounts at a time. Through an executive order, Obama said he would raise the minimum wage for workers holding federal contract jobs to $10.10 and will continue pressing Congress to make that rate the prevailing federal minimum wage nationally. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Full Story | Top |
| South Korea approves $7 billion reactor plans in boost for nuclear power Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 08:15 PM PST South Korea approved on Wednesday a $7 billion project to build two nuclear plants, a boost for an industry struggling to emerge from the shadow of Japan's Fukushima disaster and the first approval since a policy review sparked by a safety scandal at domestic reactors. The greenlight for the plants comes only two weeks after Asia's fourth-largest economy announced a policy shift to cut its reliance on nuclear power to 29 percent of total power supply by 2035, down from a planned 41 percent by 2030. A series of nuclear reactor shutdowns since last year due to safety issues have raised the risk of blackouts, putting pressure on policy makers to maintain power supplies in a economy relying on energy intensive industries such as autos, steel and electronics. The approvals will also encourage South Korea's nuclear power industry, which still aims to export its expertise into a global market dominated by France, the United States and Russia. Full Story | Top |
| Pentagon report sees delays in testing of new Boeing tanker Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 08:10 PM PST A new Boeing Co aerial tanker that will refuel warplanes during flight is expected to see operational testing slip by at least 6 to 12 months, according to a U.S. Defense Department report due to be officially released on Wednesday. The $52 billion KC-46 tanker program, one of the Pentagon's biggest arms programs, calls for Boeing to deliver the first 18 of 179 new planes to the Air Force by 2017 to replace the current fleet of 50-year-old KC-135 tankers. The new report by the Pentagon's chief weapons tester, Michael Gilmore, said Boeing and the Air Force needed more time to complete developmental testing and initial training before operational testing could begin. Full Story | Top |
| Text of Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 08:08 PM PST Following is a text of the annual State of the Union address delivered by U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, my fellow Americans, today in America, a teacher spent extra time with a student who needed it and did her part to lift America's graduation rate to its highest levels in more than three decades. (APPLAUSE) An autoworker fine-tuned some of the best, most fuel-efficient cars in the world and did his part to help America wean itself off foreign oil. And in tight-knit communities all across America, fathers and mothers will tuck in their kids, put an arm around their spouse, remember fallen comrades, and give thanks for being home from a war that, after 12 long years, is finally coming to an end. Full Story | Top |
| Obama takes tough line against Iran sanctions to Congress Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 08:05 PM PST By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama took his hard line against new sanctions over Iran's nuclear program directly to U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday by pledging in his annual State of the Union address to veto any legislation that threatens talks with Tehran. Obama said an interim agreement seeking to curb Iran's nuclear program was already taking effect, as he pressed for time to allow negotiations on a final agreement to go ahead, saying the ongoing diplomacy was important for U.S. safety. But let me be clear: if this Congress sends me a new sanctions bill now that threatens to derail these talks, I will veto it," Obama said in his speech in the House of Representatives chamber. He reassured Israel, a close U.S. ally that is extremely wary of Iran's nuclear program, referring to "a Jewish state that knows America will always be at their side." He added that all options - including the military option - were on the table for keeping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon if need be. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. envoy urges action on Yemen, Security Council to draft resolution Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 08:01 PM PST  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations' envoy on Yemen urged the Security Council on Tuesday to "do its part" in helping stop those attempting to obstruct the Yemeni transition, which diplomats said was a call for possible sanctions against former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Jordan's U.N. ambassador and president of the Security Council this month, Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein, told reporters that the council would start "drafting a resolution in the coming days which will support the wishes and aspirations of the government and people of Yemen." "Council members also expressed their readiness to look into taking measures against any side that attempts to place obstacles to subvert," stability in Yemen, Prince Zeid told reporters. Full Story | Top |
| Republicans respond and respond to Obama State of Union Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 08:01 PM PST  By Richard Cowan and Thomas Ferraro WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. Congress responded in competing voices on Tuesday to President Barack Obama's annual State of the Union address as various wings of the party vied to advance their prescriptions for the country's best way forward. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who delivered the sanctioned Republican response to Obama, queued up long-standing party doctrine that "champions free markets and trusts people to make their own decisions, not a government that decides for you." McMorris Rodgers, a five-term congresswoman from Washington state, took a broad swipe at Obamacare, the 2010 landmark healthcare law that Republicans have tried to repeal, delay or significantly alter nearly 50 times since its enactment. "We've all talked to too many people who have received cancellation notices they didn't expect or who can no longer see the doctors they always have," McMorris Rodgers said of the Affordable Care Act, which got off to a troubled start. Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Quotes from President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 07:30 PM PST Selected quotes from U.S. President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday: * "After five years of grit and determined effort, the United States is better positioned for the 21st century than any other nation on Earth." * "Let's make this a year of action. That's what most Americans want - for all of us in this chamber to focus on their lives, their hopes, their aspirations." * "... America does not stand still - and neither will I. So wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that's what I'm going to do." * "... I will act on my own to slash bureaucracy and streamline the permitting process for key projects, so we can get more construction workers on the job as fast as possible." * "We need to work together on tools like bipartisan trade promotion authority to protect our workers, protect our environment, and open new markets to new goods stamped 'Made in the USA.' China and Europe aren't standing on the sidelines. Full Story | Top |
| Obama speech calls for U.S. housing system overhaul Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 07:24 PM PST President Barack Obama renewed his call on Tuesday to wind down mortgage-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and revamp the housing finance system to include a more limited government backstop. In his State of the Union address, Obama urged Congress to pass legislation that rebuilds the mortgage market to rely more on private capital but that also maintains support for creditworthy borrowers. "Send me legislation that protects taxpayers from footing the bill for a housing crisis ever again, and keeps the dream of homeownership alive," Obama said. "The most important investment many families make is their home." Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government-run companies that own or guarantee 60 percent of all U.S. home loans, play a huge role in keeping borrowing costs low for homeowners. Full Story | Top |
| Obama lays out go-it-alone approach in State of Union speech Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 07:17 PM PST  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama vowed on Tuesday to bypass a divided Congress and take action on his own to bolster America's middle class in a State of the Union speech that he used to try to breathe new life into his second term after a troubled year. Standing in the House of Representatives chamber before lawmakers, Supreme Court justices and VIP guests, Obama declared his independence from Congress by issuing a raft of executive orders - a move likely to inflame already tense relations between the Democratic president and Republicans. Obama's actions, while relatively modest, collectively amounted to an outpouring of frustration at the pace of legislative action with Republicans in control of the House of Representatives and able to slow the president's agenda. Full Story | Top |
| Obama urges Guantanamo closure this year, shift from 'permanent war footing' Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 07:04 PM PST By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama told Americans on Tuesday that 2014 should be the year to finally close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay as the United States winds down its military role in Afghanistan and shifts away from a "permanent war footing." In his annual State of the Union address, Obama renewed his old vow - dating back to the start of his presidency five years ago - to shut the internationally condemned jail at the U.S. Naval Base in Cuba, and he called on Congress for further action to help him do so. "This needs to be the year Congress lifts the remaining restrictions on detainee transfers and we close the prison at Guantanamo Bay," Obama said. "Because we counter terrorism not just through intelligence and military action, but by remaining true to our constitutional ideals and setting an example for the rest of the world." Obama stopped short of offering any new prescriptions on how he intends to empty Guantanamo of its remaining 155 prisoners. Full Story | Top |
| Asian shares rally, reassured by Turkish rate hike Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 07:03 PM PST  By Wayne Cole SYDNEY (Reuters) - Asian markets rallied on Wednesday after Turkey stunned investors with a huge hike in interest rates, stirring hopes the drastic action would short-circuit a vicious cycle of selling in emerging markets and revive risk appetite generally. The bold move even managed to overshadow the U.S. Federal Reserve's meeting at which it is widely expected to trim its asset buying program by another $10 billion a month. S&P 500 e-mini futures climbed 0.5 percent and Japan's Nikkei jumped 1.7 percent as safe havens such as the yen and gold all eased. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan bounced 0.5 percent after three sessions of falls. Full Story | Top |
| Indonesians still world's most bullish consumers, Americans less upbeat: survey Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 07:02 PM PST  The Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index stayed at 94 in the fourth quarter for a third straight quarter, but was up 3 points from the same period a year earlier. Consumer sentiment in the United States slipped four points from a six-year high in the third quarter although it was five points higher than in the fourth quarter of 2012. "The lack of additional recent improvement in U.S. consumer sentiment is, in some measure, surprising given the improvements in employment, stock market values and housing that occurred over 2013," said Venkatesh Bala, chief economist at The Cambridge Group, a part of Nielsen. "It is likely that this is a reflection of the uneven manner in which such gains have been made, and also that levels of underemployment and long-term unemployment remain high, with many workers remaining discouraged and not participating in the workforce." In Japan, stock market gains did seem to have an impact, Nielsen said, helping consumer confidence jump by 6 points from the third quarter to its highest level since 2005. Full Story | Top |
| Mexico launches anti-kidnapping squad after abductions soar Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 06:55 PM PST  Mexico's government on Tuesday created an anti-kidnapping agency after abductions soared 20 percent last year despite President Enrique Pena Nieto's vow to reduce the crime. The new department will answer to the country's interior ministry, where Pena Nieto has centered his anti-crime programs after his predecessor relied on police and the military. Government data showed that reported kidnapping jumped to 1,695 cases last year compared with 1,407 in 2012 in an embarrassment for Pena Nieto, who said he would shift the government's focus from hunting drug lords to reducing kidnappings and extortion. Since taking office in December 2012, Pena Nieto has sought to draw public attention to his efforts to reform the economy and away from grisly violence that has killed more than 80,000 people since his predecessor, Felipe Calderon, launched a military offensive against drug cartels seven years ago. Full Story | Top |
| Obama urges Congress to pass anti-patent troll bill Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 06:49 PM PST President Barack Obama called for Congress to pass legislation aimed at reining in what many companies complain are proliferating and frivolous patent infringement lawsuits. Tech companies have long complained about the lawsuits, often filed by companies derisively called "patent trolls," but retailers, coffee shops, banks and others have since been accused of infringement and joined the ranks of those lobbying lawmakers for protection. "And let's pass a patent reform bill that allows our businesses to stay focused on innovation, not costly, needless litigation," said Obama in his State of the Union address. There are a range of bills before Congress on the matter but two are seen as having the best chance of becoming law. Full Story | Top |
| Obama says will continue gun control push without Congress Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 06:36 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Tuesday he would continue to work to reduce violence in the United States despite a lack of support in Congress for gun control measures he failed to get passed last year. "I have seen the courage of parents, students, pastors, and police officers all over this country who say 'we are not afraid,' and I intend to keep trying, with or without Congress, to help stop more tragedies from visiting innocent Americans in our movie theaters, shopping malls, or schools," Obama said, according to the text of his State of the Union address. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama to vow concrete steps to address inequality in State of Union: excerpts Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 06:26 PM PST President Barack Obama is set to pledge on Tuesday a set of "concrete, practical proposals" in his annual State of the Union address to address the gap between rich and poor in America, the White House said. "Today, after four years of economic growth, corporate profits and stock prices have rarely been higher, and those at the top have never done better," Obama was to say, according to excerpts from the speech released by the White House. Full Story | Top |
| Obama touts 'responsible' energy development measures, climate goals Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 06:21 PM PST By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled new measures on Tuesday to address climate change that aim to promote the country's abundant shale gas and oil resources while balancing concerns about their impact on the environment. In his fifth State of the Union address, Obama highlighted several new and existing measures to expand clean energy production, chiefly by using executive powers that are not dependent on action by a divided Congress. Among the proposals cited by Obama, among a series of measures not needing Congressional action, was a plan for new incentives to encourage the country's fleet of medium and heavy duty trucks to run on natural gas and alternative fuels. Those incentives will complement new fuel efficiency standards that the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation will issue later this year for heavy duty trucks, the White House said. Full Story | Top |
| Toy weapons won't look like real ones under California proposal Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 06:18 PM PST By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - Toy weapons would no longer be allowed to resemble real guns in California under a bill that advanced in the state legislature on Tuesday aimed at preventing children engaged in harmless play from being mistaken as armed and dangerous. The bid grew out of public outcry that erupted last year after a Northern California sheriff's deputy shot and killed a 13-year-old boy as he carried a plastic replica of an assault rifle, in an interaction that played out in mere seconds. "It is increasingly much more difficult for a police officer to distinguish the real thing from the fake thing, and often-times these have very tragic consequences like the death of a child or a teenager," bill sponsor Democratic Senator Kevin de Leon told Reuters. "It's much more common than people think." The effort to ban realistic looking toy weapons, which applies to toys as well as pellet guns, passed the state Senate by a vote of 22-9. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. judge frees anarchist jailed for refusal to testify in bomb probe Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 06:17 PM PST By Nick Brown NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge on Tuesday freed a self-described anarchist jailed for refusing to testify before a grand jury over a 2008 bombing, saying jail time was not going to induce him to cooperate. Gerald Koch, about eight months into an 18-month jail sentence, was granted a request for release by Judge John Keenan in Manhattan Federal Court under a legal precedent that calls for the release of grand jury resisters who appear beyond any hope of cooperation. Koch, 24, of Brooklyn, was jailed in May after being found in civil contempt for refusing to testify before a grand jury. The same opposition that got Koch locked up last year, earned him his freedom on Tuesday, when Keenan said he saw "no indication that Koch's doctrinaire fever will break in the foreseeable future." His lawyer, Susan Tipograph, could not be reached for comment. Full Story | Top |
| Qualcomm faces prospect of record antitrust fines in China Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 06:11 PM PST  By Michael Martina and Matthew Miller BEIJING (Reuters) - Qualcomm Inc, the world's biggest cellphone chip maker, may be hit with a record fine exceeding $1 billion in a Chinese antitrust probe, raising the specter of harsh penalties for foreign firms facing an increasingly aggressive regulator. China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) initiated an investigation into Qualcomm last year and is currently holding talks with the U.S. company, which this month said it was still in the dark about the basis of the scrutiny. The probe and the potential fine - the amount of which could hinge on negotiations - come as the NDRC zooms in on information technology providers, especially companies that license patent technology for mobile devices and networks. Industry experts say the NDRC, the government's main economic planning body, is trying to lower domestic costs as China rolls out its faster 4G mobile networks this year. Full Story | Top |
| Fidel Castro 'talked a lot' during meeting, Brazil's Rousseff says Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 05:53 PM PST Fidel Castro was lucid, displayed a sharp memory and "talked a lot," Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said on Tuesday of her two-hour meeting with the former Cuban president. Rousseff met Castro, 87, on Monday during her visit to Cuba for a Latin American and Caribbean summit. She said Castro discussed his contemporaries, such as former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, and historical figures such as Napoleon. Castro has rarely been seen in public since he took ill in 2006 and handed over power to his younger brother Raul Castro, at first provisionally in 2006 and then definitively in 2008. Full Story | Top |
| Cuba challenges neighbors on poverty, then faces own critics Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 05:51 PM PST  By Daniel Trotta HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban President Raul Castro challenged Latin American leaders to show the political will to improve health care and education, then heard from his own critics after Cuban authorities stifled a protest outside the confines of a regional summit. Castro's speech also listed a series of Latin American grievances that directly or indirectly involve the United States, attempting to unify the 33 countries at the summit against their neighbor to the north, which was not invited. "We have every possibility to abolish illiteracy," Castro told leaders of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). "We should have the political will to do it." While Castro advised fellow leaders on how to manage their economies, Cuban dissidents and the United States admonished the Cubans for thwarting a protest. Full Story | Top |
| Stradivarius violin plucked from musician in Wisconsin robbery Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 05:14 PM PST By Brendan O'Brien MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - A 300-year-old Stradivarius worth millions of dollars was stolen from a concert violinist by thieves who shot the musician with an electric stun gun just after he had performed with the instrument in suburban Milwaukee, police said on Tuesday. "It appears the violin was the primary target of this robbery," Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn told reporters, adding that the two thieves were seen fleeing the scene of the crime in a minivan. The so-called Lipinski Stradivarius, an instrument made in 1715 and distinguished by unique striations on its back, was stolen on Monday night at a college campus in Wauwatosa, immediately west of Milwaukee, Flynn said. The instrument was on loan to violinist Frank Almond of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra when it was taken from him following a performance, Flyn said. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. rests its case in insider trading trial of SAC's Martoma Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 05:10 PM PST  By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - Steven A. Cohen tried to sell stock as quietly as possible as SAC Capital Advisors unwound positions at the center of an insider trading trial, the hedge fund's head trader said on Thursday. The testimony came as the government called its final witnesses in the trial of former portfolio manager Mathew Martoma, putting the case within days of its conclusion. Martoma, 39, is accused of using inside information about a drug trial to trade in the stock of Elan Corp Plc and Wyeth that helped SAC Capital make profits and avoid losses of $276 million. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. postal workers protest outside California Staples Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 05:04 PM PST  By Laila Kearney SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Dozens of United States Postal Service workers took to the streets of San Francisco on Tuesday in the first of a series of planned protests against expanding post office services to Staples Inc stores using non-union workers. Post office employees and mail carriers shouted from loudspeakers and held picket signs outside a busy Staples store in the city's Nob Hill neighborhood, seeking to draw attention to an arrangement they say threatens the quality of mail service to U.S. residents. The USPS and Staples agreed in October to allow Staples employees to sell postal packaging and accept mail that is later picked up from the stores by postal workers. The Postal Service has been plagued by financial troubles as more people pay their bills and communicate electronically instead of sending stamped mail, and as it struggles to pay into a health fund for its future retirees, as mandated by a 2006 law. Full Story | Top |
| GMO critics protest at Monsanto meeting; resolutions fail Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 05:00 PM PST  Critics of genetically modified crops protested at Monsanto Co's annual shareholders meeting on Tuesday, calling for the world's largest seed company to provide a report on contamination in non-GMO crops and to stop fighting mandatory labels on foods containing GMO ingredients. The requests came in the form of two shareholder resolutions that were backed by environmental, food safety and consumer activist groups. The resolutions come at a time of heightened debate over the spread of genetically modified crops. Outside the meeting at Monsanto's headquarters in suburban St. Louis, Missouri, about two dozen protesters waved signs criticizing the $15 billion agrichemical and seed company, and 10 people were arrested as they attempted to disrupt traffic. Full Story | Top |
| Daughters of Texas Democrat Davis defend mother in bio brouhaha Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 04:30 PM PST  By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The daughters of Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis rallied to her defense against accusations that their mother embellished her biography, saying in open letters released on Tuesday they wanted to "set the record straight." Davis, a Democrat, is trying to recover from a major setback after the Dallas Morning News earlier this month questioned details about the inspiring life story at the center of her campaign of how she went from teenage mother in a Texas trailer park to Harvard Law School graduate. "I hate that I feel the need to write this, but I have been reading and hearing so many untrue things about my mom and I want to set the record straight," Dru Davis, 25, said in her letter, which was released to the media. Up until the report, Davis had been making inroads on Republican favorite Greg Abbott, the state's attorney general, raising more money than him in the latter half of 2013 and narrowing the gap in polls in the heavily Republican state. Full Story | Top |
| Pakistan sees chance for Afghan peace talks to resume after April election Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 04:24 PM PST  Pakistan sees a chance to resume stalled peace talks that aim to end the long conflict in Afghanistan if Taliban militants are willing to engage with the Afghan government once President Hamid Karzai steps down, a top Pakistani official said on Tuesday. "My own feeling is that after the election the Taliban will probably talk to the new government more ... than the present government," Sartaj Aziz, a senior adviser to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on national security and foreign affairs, said in Washington. Full Story | Top |
| 'Boss Hog' of 'Duck Dynasty' TV show to attend big Obama speech Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 04:22 PM PST  "Duck Dynasty" reality television star Willie "Boss Hog" Robertson is on the invitation list to attend President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech Tuesday night, compliments of a congressman from his home state of Louisiana. Newly elected Representative Vance McAllister, a Republican, said on Twitter that Robertson would be in the U.S. House of Representatives chamber, where Obama was to lay out his policy agenda for the year. "I'm happy to announce that my friend, constituent & small business owner @williebosshog will be attending tonight's #SOTU as my guest," McAllister tweeted - including the younger Robertson's Twitter handle and the "#SOTU" hashtag, or search term, for the State of the Union address. Robertson's wife Korie, who also appears on the show, was given a guest ticket to the speech by South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who tweeted a photo of himself with the couple. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. border officials ground fleet of drones after crash at sea Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 04:20 PM PST By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. Customs and Border Protection has indefinitely grounded its remaining fleet of nine drones after operators were forced to crash a pilotless aircraft off the Southern California coast because of a mechanical problem, a spokesman said on Tuesday. The mishap on Monday marked the second crash of one of the agency's drones since it began using the unnamed aerial surveillance technology in 2006. "While on patrol off the Southern California coast, the unmanned aircraft, a maritime variant of the Predator B, experienced a mechanical failure," U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Michael Friel said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Georgia bill would seek limited access to medical marijuana strain Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 04:20 PM PST  By David Beasley ATLANTA (Reuters) - Georgia state representative Allen Peake introduced a bill on Tuesday that would legalize a non-psychoactive strain of marijuana strictly limited to patients with severe seizure disorders. The Republican lawmaker's proposal is similar to legislation introduced recently in Florida and Alabama, while limiting its availability to a handful of medical research facilities. Peake's interest in the issue was prompted by a constituent's 4-year-old daughter, who suffers from a seizure disorder. "It made me realize that if this was my child or my grandchild, I'd be moving heaven and earth to get this legislation passed to provide some hope and relief to these families." Medical marijuana in various forms is currently legal in 20 states, and at least 10 other states are considering legalizing it, including Florida, Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee, said Erik Altieri, spokesman for the Washington-based pro-marijuana group, NORML. Full Story | Top |
| Conflict, disaster to gallop in with new Chinese year of the Horse, say feng shui masters Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 04:08 PM PST  By Grace Li HONG KONG (Reuters) - The coming Chinese Year of the Horse may bring conflicts and disasters related to fire but strong gains in stocks linked to wood, the year's two dominant elements, say Hong Kong's practitioners of the ancient art of feng shui. The Chinese zodiac has 12 animals that interact with the elements. The Year of the Horse, the lunar new year that starts on January 31, contains a great deal of fire, bringing energy, and also wood, fuelling the flames, and making them stronger. "The upcoming Horse year is also a 'yang wood' year, when people will stick more to their principles and stand firm," said Raymond Lo, a practitioner for more than 20 years who has students all over the world. Full Story | Top |
| Trip Tips: Off Sochi's beaten path, Stalin's villa, Caucasus cuisine Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 04:07 PM PST  By Thomas Grove SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) - The main roads and boulevards of Sochi have been plastered over with Olympic Games posters, slogans in Cyrillic and billboards welcoming sports fans to the Russian Black Sea resort. But for most visitors the real Sochi will be what they find when they travel off the beaten path of the Winter Olympics, which run from Feb 7-23, to soak up the sounds, flavors and even the waters of this Soviet-era spa city. From its open-air markets to the mineral baths that made it the playground of the Soviet communist elite for much of the 20th century, Sochi will offer a glimpse of Russia that few visitors usually have a chance to see. Here are tips for getting the most out of a trip to Sochi from Reuters, whose global network of 2,600 journalists can offer visitors the best local insights worldwide. Full Story | Top |
| Delaware doctor accused of waterboarding stepdaughter as trial opens Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 03:57 PM PST  By Lacey Johnson GEORGETOWN, Delaware (Reuters) - A well-known Delaware pediatrician force-fed his 11-year-old stepdaughter, forbade her from using the bathroom and used "waterboarding" to discipline her, a prosecutor said on Tuesday at the opening of the doctor's trial. Dr. Melvin Morse, a best-selling author on near-death experiences, faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child, reckless endangerment and conspiracy. Morse, 60, held the girl face-up under a running kitchen faucet until she was unable to breathe and "called it waterboarding," the prosecutor, Melanie Withers, told jurors. Morse's defense lawyer, Joe Hurley, responded that his client was joking when he used the term "waterboarding" and that the incidents had been attempts to wash the girl's hair, an activity she hated. Full Story | Top |
| No evidence Russia helped Snowden to steal U.S. secrets: Feinstein Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 03:57 PM PST  By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Dianne Feinstein, said on Tuesday she has seen no evidence that Russian spies helped former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden steal U.S. eavesdropping secrets. Rogers suggested earlier this month that Russia had acquired influence over Snowden before he left his job as an NSA contractor and traveled to Hong Kong, where he leaked tens of thousands of classified documents describing U.S. and British eavesdropping operations. A senior U.S. official familiar with the matter said that he had seen no evidence Snowden had been recruited or influenced by Russia to acquire and leak U.S. eavesdropping secrets. Rogers said on television 10 days ago that Snowden had likely been collaborating with Russia before he fled there last year. Full Story | Top |
| Obama to lay out go-it-alone approach in State of Union speech Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 03:31 PM PST  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will lay out his strategy for getting around a divided Congress starting with a wage hike for federal contract workers in a State of the Union speech on Tuesday that reflects scaled-back legislative ambitions after a tough year. Obama will make clear in his 9 p.m. EST (0200 GMT Wednesday) address that he is willing to bypass U.S. lawmakers and go it alone in some areas by announcing a series of executive actions aimed at boosting the middle class, many that do not require congressional approval. Obama will tell Congress he is eager to work with lawmakers, "but America does not stand still - and neither will I." "So wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that's what I'm going to do," Obama will say, according to speech excerpts released by the White House. The White House said Obama would announce that he is issuing an executive order to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour for federal contract workers with new contracts. Full Story | Top |
| Turkish central bank makes massive rate hikes to stem lira fall Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 03:30 PM PST  By Seda Sezer and Daren Butler ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's central bank hiked all of its key interest rates in dramatic fashion at an emergency midnight policy meeting, ignoring opposition from Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan as it battles to defend the country's crumbling lira currency. The bank raised its overnight lending rate to 12 percent from 7.75 percent, its one-week repo rate to 10 percent from 4.5 percent, and its overnight borrowing rate to 8 percent from 3.5 percent - all much sharper moves than economists had forecast. A Reuters poll of 31 economists on Monday found a consensus pointing to a 2.25-percentage-point rise in the lending rate. Erdogan, keen to maintain economic growth ahead of an election cycle starting in two months, has been a vociferous opponent of higher borrowing costs, railing against what he describes as an "interest rate lobby" of speculators seeking to stifle growth and undermine the economy. Full Story | Top |
| Teen shot by police at Honolulu high school after brandishing knife Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 03:28 PM PST By Treena Shapiro HONOLULU (Reuters) - A 17-year-old boy who brandished a knife at police trying to take him into custody at a Honolulu high school was shot in the wrist by one of the officers on Tuesday, prompting a lockdown on campus, officials said. The incident at Roosevelt High School began when two police officers attempted to escort the teen - who was described as a runaway and a "non-active student" - off campus, according to the Hawaii State Department of Education. "According to the Honolulu Police Department, upon seeing the police officers, the male became combative and brandished a knife, which he used to slash at the officers," the Department of Education said in a statement. The boy, who was not identified by authorities, was taken to a local hospital where he was listed in serious condition with non-life-threatening wounds, said Shayne Enright, spokeswoman for Honolulu's Emergency Medical Services Division. Full Story | Top |
| House, Senate leaders see swift passage of US farm bill Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 03:27 PM PST  By Eric Beech WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Leaders of the House and Senate agriculture committees are optimistic that the long-overdue U.S. farm bill will pass, although the House of Representatives vote set for Wednesday could be the more difficult hurdle. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas said on a conference call with reporters on Tuesday that there are a number of House members - both liberal and conservative - who are opposed to sprawling legislation unveiled on Monday by congressional negotiators. "It's the coalition of the folks in the middle who want to get things done ... who will pass this bill." "If it was easy, it wouldn't be the farm bill," he added. Lucas said liberal members objected to cuts of about 1 percent a year in funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, which provides assistance for low-income Americans to buy food. Full Story | Top |
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