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| Venezuela shuffles economic team, keeps forex rate Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 07:44 PM PST  By Eyanir Chinea and Brian Ellsworth CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro named an army general as the new finance minister in a reshuffle of his economic team on Wednesday and said there would be no currency devaluation this year despite a soaring black market for dollars. The cabinet changes do not suggest any major shift in the country's state-dominated economy, as the new economic team retains many of the same policy-makers that helped the late Hugo Chavez advance the OPEC nation's drive toward socialism. Venezuela in 2013 saw slowing economic growth and soaring inflation that Maduro blames on an opposition-backed "economic war" but that critics call the result of decaying price and currency controls now widely linked to corruption. Maduro tasked new finance minister Rodolfo Marco with "building a new financial model that can allow for all these investments we need, that will allow the expansion of a financial system at the service of the country." Marco, who participated in the failed 1992 coup that thrust Chavez to fame and did jail time with him afterwards, previously held the post of Public Banks Minister, which will now be merged with the finance ministry. Full Story | Top |
| Pacific trade talks fall short on environmental protection: groups Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 07:43 PM PST By Krista Hughes WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An ambitious trade pact being negotiated among Pacific Rim nations so far fails to properly protect endangered species and could undermine existing safeguards for the environment, environmental groups said on Wednesday. Documents released by the whistle-blowing group WikiLeaks show countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) did not plan to sanction trading partners who break environmental promises - an issue that has caused a rift between the United States and others in the bloc and is an obstacle to finalizing the deal. The TPP would cover almost 40 percent of the global economy and create a free trade zone reaching from North America to Japan and New Zealand, and the United States is keen to wrap up talks in the coming months. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. to airlift Rwandan forces into Central African Republic Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 07:38 PM PST The U.S. military will soon begin flying Rwandan troops into the Central African Republic, possibly starting on Thursday, in its second such operation in support the African Union's efforts to stem bloodshed there, a U.S. official said on Wednesday. The airlift mission would be very similar to the one the United States carried out flying forces from Burundi into the Central African Republic late last year, the official said. The U.S. aircraft would fly out of Uganda into Rwanda's capital Kigali, where they would load before proceeding onto Bangui in the Central African Republic, the official said. A Muslim rebel coalition, Seleka, seized power in Central African Republic last spring, unleashing a wave of killings and looting that in turn sparked revenge attacks by the "anti-balaka" Christian militia. Full Story | Top |
| Obama seeks to build unity with Senate Democrats in election year Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 07:24 PM PST  By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama sought to build a united front with Democratic senators on Wednesday, inviting them to the White House to chat about "shared goals" heading into midterm elections in which Republicans will try to exploit Obama's woes to pick up seats. Obama urged senators to hold off on a proposed Iran sanctions bill that many support - and which he has vowed to veto. The White House has said the legislation would derail an international deal to curb Iran's nuclear program. Obama, not known for his tendency to schmooze, sat on a stool with a microphone in the ornate East Room of the White House, giving brief remarks before taking questions from senators for about 90 minutes. Full Story | Top |
| Reform or lose us as member, Osborne tells EU Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 07:24 PM PST  By Andrew Osborn LONDON (Reuters) - Britain told its European Union partners on Wednesday the EU's treaties were "not fit for purpose" and there must be reform or it would quit the bloc. In the latest blast of euroscepticism from Conservatives in Britain's coalition government, Chancellor George Osborne said EU treaties had to be changed to protect member states like his own that don't use the euro. The comments, made at a conference in London on reform of the 28-nation EU, are unlikely to be embraced by integrationists in Brussels, who want Britain to remain in the bloc but have become irritated by its demands for change. Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, accused countries like Britain that have questioned the bloc's freedom of movement rules of having a "narrow, chauvinistic idea of the protection" of their interests - an indication of how tough London may find it to win allies. Full Story | Top |
| Boy in New Mexico school shooting took gun from home, police say Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 07:15 PM PST  A 12-year-old boy who wounded two students when he opened fire with a shotgun at a New Mexico middle school took the firearm from his home, modified it and planned the attack in advance, police said on Wednesday. Investigators were also continuing to look into the possibility that the boy, who has not been publicly identified by authorities, warned some friends before carrying out the attack on Tuesday at Berrendo Middle School in Roswell, police said. "We did find evidence that the suspect had planned this event," New Mexico State Police Chief Pete Kassetas told reporters, while declining to reveal any more details. The shooting was the second at a U.S. middle school in the past three months and comes in the midst of a contentious national debate on gun control that intensified after a gunman killed 26 people at a school in Newtown, Connecticut. Full Story | Top |
| Reform or lose us as member, Britain's finance minister tells EU Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 07:13 PM PST  By Andrew Osborn LONDON (Reuters) - Britain told its European Union partners on Wednesday the EU's treaties were "not fit for purpose" and there must be reform or it would quit the bloc. In the latest blast of euroscepticism from Conservatives in Britain's coalition government, finance minister George Osborne said EU treaties had to be changed to protect member states like his own that don't use the euro. The comments, made at a conference in London on reform of the 28-nation EU, are unlikely to be embraced by integrationists in Brussels, who want Britain to remain in the bloc but have become irritated by its demands for change. Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, accused countries like Britain that have questioned the bloc's freedom of movement rules of having a "narrow, chauvinistic idea of the protection" of their interests - an indication of how tough London may find it to win allies. Full Story | Top |
| North Korea warns South and U.S. over "provocative" drills Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 06:46 PM PST  North Korea has demanded that South Korea and the United States halt annual military drills due in February and March, saying they were a direct provocation, in a statement that suggested a re-run of a sharp escalation in tension last year. In 2013, North Korea said it would retaliate against any hostile moves by striking at the United States, Japan and South Korea, triggering a military buildup on the Korean peninsula and months of fiery rhetoric. The reclusive North has regularly denounced annual drills such as "Key Resolve" and "Ulchi-Freedom-Guardian" staged by South Korea and United States as a prelude to invasion. "We sternly warn the U.S. and the South Korean authorities to stop the dangerous military exercises which may push the situation on the peninsula and the north-south ties to a catastrophe," the North's KCNA state news quoted a body in charge of efforts to promote Korean unification as saying. Full Story | Top |
| Mexico vigilante leader wants cartel bosses dead, not captured Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 06:43 PM PST  By Simon Gardner LA RUANA, Mexico (Reuters) - A vigilante leader in a Mexican state torn by violence said on Wednesday it would be better to kill the heads of the region's dominant drug cartel than arrest them, and rejected a government order to disarm. Vigilantes have been battling the Knights Templar cartel in the western state of Michoacan for almost a year, creating a major security problem for President Enrique Pena Nieto. Federal security forces have turned a blind eye to the armed vigilantes despite calling on them to disarm. Reuters reporters saw police and army convoys steadily drive past sandbag roadblocks manned by members of Michoacan's so-called self-defense groups. Full Story | Top |
| Thai protesters target revenue offices, PM awaits graft ruling Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 06:18 PM PST  By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat BANGKOK (Reuters) - Protesters in Thailand trying to paralyze ministries to force the government to resign said they would target revenue offices on Thursday, but their numbers appeared to be dwindling and ministers say the movement could be running out of steam. A state anti-corruption panel is due to give a ruling on Thursday on irregularities in a rice-buying scheme, that the government introduced to support farmers, that could give ammunition to opponents of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. ... Full Story | Top |
| Federal grand jury indicts Houston woman for threatening to kill Obama Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 06:08 PM PST By Andrea Lorenz Nenque HOUSTON (Reuters) - A Houston woman who goes by the name "Teddy Bear Paradise" was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday for sending a letter threatening to assassinate President Barack Obama, according to court records. Denise O'Neal, 57, is accused of sending a letter to President Obama on November 28, telling him she was going to Washington to kill him, court records show. When U.S. Secret Service agents interviewed O'Neal about the letter on December 19, she told them she intended to carry out her threat, according to the criminal complaint filed in the case. At that point, the Houston Police Department Crisis Intervention Response Team evaluated O'Neal and found her to be a threat to herself or others and transported her to a local hospital, according to the complaint. Full Story | Top |
| China confirms hypersonic missile carrier test Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 06:05 PM PST China has flight-tested a hypersonic missile delivery vehicle in a move that was scientific in nature and not targeted at any country, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday. They are beefing up military spending and ties with Washington. "Our planned scientific research tests conducted in our territory are normal," the Beijing Defence Ministry said in a faxed response to Reuters. "These tests are not targeted at any country and at any specific goals." The statement confirmed a report by the online Washington Free Beacon newspaper that the hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) was detected flying at 10 times the speed of sound over China last week. Full Story | Top |
| Contractor that vetted Snowden hires restructuring advisers: WSJ Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 06:00 PM PST (Reuters) - U.S. defense contractor Altegrity Inc has hired restructuring advisers as it contends with a debt burden of about $1.8 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Altegrity is the holding company for U.S. Investigations Services (USIS), the nation's largest private provider of federal government background checks that became the focus of congressional scrutiny last year after it was discovered USIS vetted Edward Snowden before he leaked documents about U.S. spying efforts. USIS was also responsible for vetting Aaron Alexis, the technology contractor who killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard in September. Full Story | Top |
| Despite budget surplus, no state bailout in works for Detroit, says top lawmaker Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 05:53 PM PST  Despite forecasts that Michigan will have a budget surplus, a top state legislator on Wednesday warned that Detroit should not expect a state bailout for the struggling city that has filed the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger, a Republican, wants much of the extra money to go toward tax cuts, according to spokesman Ari Adler. "A direct bailout for the city by the state is not an option Speaker Bolger will consider, but many other options exist that deserve to be explored," Adler said in an email. "It's still too early to say what, if any, legislative action would be needed." Bolger has spoken with U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen, the chief mediator in the bankruptcy, Michigan Republican Governor Rick Snyder and others about "the best way to resolve Detroit's bankruptcy in a way that saves the state money and alleviates future financial liabilities," Adler said. Full Story | Top |
| Doctor convicted in Michael Jackson death loses appeal Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 05:21 PM PST  A California appellate court refused on Wednesday to overturn the conviction of Michael Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray, who was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of the pop star. The three-judge panel of California 2nd District Court of Appeal unanimously upheld Murray's 2011 conviction, ruling that there was sufficient evidence and there were no errors during his trial. Grenada-born Murray, 60, was released from a Los Angeles jail in October after serving two years. Murray's six-week trial in 2011 grabbed global attention after Jackson, preparing for a series of comeback concerts in London, died unexpectedly in 2009 at age 50 from an overdose of the surgical anesthetic, propofol. Full Story | Top |
| Michael Jackson's estate, Lloyd's of London settle insurance dispute Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 05:13 PM PST  The insurers of Michael Jackson's ill-fated "This Is It" London comeback concerts on Wednesday have settled out of court with the late King of Pop's estate over a $17.5 million policy, the attorney for Jackson's estate said. The settlement caps three years of litigation between underwriter Lloyd's of London Ltd and Jackson's estate over the insurance policy. "The estate and Lloyd's of London are glad this matter got resolved," Jackson estate attorney Howard Weitzman said in a statement. The insurer had previously asked Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Malcolm Mackey to nullify the policy, saying they were never told that Jackson was taking powerful drugs. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. farm bill deal could be reached this week -senator Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 05:06 PM PST By Eric Beech WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Negotiations in Congress on the long overdue U.S. farm bill could be completed this week after progress was stalled by a disagreement over a dairy price support program, a senator said on Wednesday. The five-year farm bill, which covers issues from domestic crop subsidies to exports and global food aid, is being held up chiefly by a dispute between Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Representative Collin Peterson of Minnesota over a program that would cut milk production if prices decline below a certain level. But Republican Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota, who is a member of the House-Senate "conference" panel considering the bill but not among the four lead negotiators, said he thought a compromise could be reached that does not include the supply management element, which Boehner opposes. "Obviously for the speaker, the issue is not having supply management in there. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Labor Department to probe Florida's jobless benefits website Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 05:03 PM PST By Bill Cotterell TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - U.S. Department of Labor officials will travel to Florida to investigate the state's troubled unemployment compensation website following criticism it is failing to get jobless benefits to laid-off workers, an official said on Wednesday. Florida's economic development chief told a legislative committee on Wednesday that he was "frustrated" by glitches in the $63 million website and related services. He said the state government would consider additional penalties against Deloitte, the website's designer. "The state's unemployment website is a dismal failure, and Governor Rick Scott is responsible," state Senator Geraldine Thompson, a Democrat from Orlando, said at a news conference. Full Story | Top |
| Egypt voters overwhelmingly back constitution: official sources Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 05:03 PM PST  By Maggie Fick and Ali Abdelaty CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptians who voted in a referendum overwhelmingly approved a new constitution, official sources said, citing early results of a ballot that could set the stage for army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to declare his candidacy for president. About 90 percent of voters approved the constitution, the state news agency and a government official said. It comes as no surprise: the constitution won wide support among Egyptians who backed the army overthrow of President Mohamed Mursi in July, and there was little or no trace of a no campaign as the state presses a campaign on dissent. Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, which is sure to dispute the official numbers, had called for a boycott of the two-day vote, seeing it as part of a coup against a leader freely elected 18 months ago. Full Story | Top |
| Marvell says not in talks with shareholder KKR on a buyout Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 04:58 PM PST (Reuters) - Marvell Technology Group Ltd on Wednesday said it is not in talks with KKR & Co on a major transaction such as a buyout, a little over two weeks after the private equity firm reported a 6.8 percent stake. The chipmaker made the disclosure in a filing with the U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, where it is defending against a lawsuit by Carnegie Mellon University alleging patent infringement in connection with computer disk drives. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer rejected Marvell's bid to cut $620 million from a $1.17 billion jury verdict against the company. Marvell, in its filing, rejected what it called Carnegie Mellon's concern that the KKR investment might herald "extraordinary corporate transactions" that could threaten the university's ability to collect a final judgment. Full Story | Top |
| Chinese inexperience a factor in warships' near-miss : U.S. admiral Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 04:56 PM PST  By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chinese operational inexperience and communications difficulties on both sides contributed to a near-collision between the USS Cowpens and a Chinese warship in the South China Sea last month, the head of U.S. forces in the Asia-Pacific said on Wednesday. Admiral Samuel Locklear, the head of U.S. Pacific Command, told a Navy conference the Cowpens, a guided missile cruiser, was monitoring China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, as it conducted operations in international waters for the first time when the incident occurred. "I believe that there was ... a lack of experience on some of their smaller ships and I think we have to understand that for now," Locklear told the Surface Navy Association during a question and answer session at its national symposium. Language barriers were also a factor, Locklear said, with U.S. sailors hailing the Chinese ship in English and the Chinese having to address the Americans in sometimes limited English. Full Story | Top |
| Fund manager says doesn't recall why Ergen bought LightSquared debt Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 04:45 PM PST  By Nick Brown NEW YORK (Reuters) - A hedge fund manager who handled debt purchases at the center of a trial over the bankruptcy of LightSquared said on Wednesday he did not recall whether Dish Network Corp Chairman Charles Ergen was buying the debt to influence the bankruptcy. Stephen Ketchum, the head of Sound Point Capital, also testified that he could not recall how badly Ergen wanted the debt of the wireless communications company, apparently contradicting an earlier deposition and drawing a reminder from the judge that he was under oath. Ergen's motivation for buying LightSquared's debt is central to the trial, which is taking place in the U.S. bankruptcy court in Manhattan. LightSquared and its owner, Harbinger Capital Partners, accuse Ergen of improperly buying the debt as a way for Dish to take control of LightSquared's wireless broadband rights. Full Story | Top |
| Wet, wetter; dry, drier: U.S. oceanographer has hit with climate-change haiku Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 04:28 PM PST  An American oceanographer who helped write an international report on climate change has condensed several of its key findings - such as how choices made today may shape the future world - into a collection of succinct poems in the Haiku style. The poems came to Gregory Johnson, a 20-year veteran of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as he pored over an executive summary of "Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis," while holed up in his Seattle home on a recent weekend with the flu, he said. "I thought that if I tried distilling these ideas into haiku, maybe that would help fix them in my mind," said Johnson, a lead author on the chapter of the report dealing with the effects of global warming on oceans. "This was not intended for anything but my own personal consumption." After penning the poems and painting watercolors accompanying each of them, Johnson, heartened by feedback from friends and family, agreed to publish them on the website of the Sightline Institute, a Seattle-based environmental policy think-tank. Full Story | Top |
| Dallas Cowboys' Brent drank heavily before deadly crash: witness Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 04:26 PM PST  By Lisa Garza DALLAS (Reuters) - An expert witness called by the prosecution testified on Wednesday that former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent has been drinking heavily before crashing his new Mercedes in December 2012, killing teammate Jerry Brown Jr. Toxicologist Justin Schwane told the court he tested three vials of Brent's blood taken at the time of his arrest and said that, based on blood alcohol calculations for a person as large as the football player, Brent likely consumed 17 standard size drinks. Schwane took the stand for nearly six hours and faced a long cross-examination from defense attorney Deandra Grant, who questioned him over whether he improperly stored the vials, which could affect the results. Brent's blood alcohol level was 0.189, according to police documents. Defense attorney George Milner told the court that the amount of liquor Brent drank before getting behind the wheel was not enough to make him drunk because of his large build. Full Story | Top |
| Texas father sentenced to life for killing his three children Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 04:23 PM PST A Houston man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty on Wednesday in the 2010 shooting deaths of his three children, according to court records. Mohammed Goher, 50, was facing capital murder charges, which carry the possibility of the death penalty, for fatally shooting his three children, ages 14, 12 and 7, as they slept. Full Story | Top |
| Alaska mine threatens salmon, native cultures -U.S. agency Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 04:14 PM PST  By Nicole Mordant VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Large-scale mining in the Bristol Bay watershed poses serious risks to salmon and native cultures in this pristine corner of southwest Alaska, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a report released on Wednesday. The EPA said a mine could destroy up to 94 miles of salmon-supporting streams and thousands of acres of wetlands, ponds and lakes. Polluted water from the mine site could enter streams, causing widespread damage in a region that produces nearly 50 percent of the world's wild sockeye salmon, the EPA said. The Bristol Bay region supports all five species of Pacific salmon found in North America, which include sockeye, Chinook, chum, coho and pink salmon. Full Story | Top |
| House price expectations hit 14-year high in December - RICS Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 04:11 PM PST  Expectations of future rises in British house prices strengthened again last month, driven by a shortage of new homes on the market, a survey showed on Thursday, although its headline price measure slipped. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said a net balance of 61 percent of surveyors forecast prices would rise over the next three months, up from 59 percent in November and the strongest consensus since September 1999. The survey showed house prices rose in every area of Britain last month. However, its main house price balance measure eased to +56 in December from November's +58. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Air Force hit with cheating scandal in nuke missile wing Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 04:01 PM PST By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Air Force has suspended security clearances for 34 officers and is re-testing the entire force overseeing America's nuclear-armed missiles after uncovering widespread cheating on a key proficiency exam. The incident was the largest single case of cheating in America's nuclear missile wings in memory, and is the latest embarrassment for a force that faces growing questions over discipline and morale in the post-Cold War era. The head of the ICBM force, Air Force Major General Michael Carey, was fired in October for getting drunk and carousing with women while leading a government delegation to Moscow for talks on nuclear security. The latest incident occurred last year and involved sharing answers by text message on a monthly proficiency exam for missile launch officers at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, Welsh said. Full Story | Top |
| Texas father sentenced to life for killing his 3 children Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 03:58 PM PST A Houston man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty on Wednesday in the 2010 shooting deaths of his three children, according to court records. Mohammed Goher, 50, was facing capital murder charges, which carry the possibility of the death penalty, for fatally shooting his three children, ages 14, 12 and 7, as they slept. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Senate hearing urges quicker commodity limits on banks Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 03:52 PM PST  By Anna Louie Sussman WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers at a Senate hearing on Wednesday pushed financial regulators to speed up efforts to limit Wall Street's role in physical commodities markets, pressing for a pivotal policy shift after a decade of deepening trade. The packed hearing, which lasted over an hour, offered senators a chance to delve further into the Fed's thinking, pressing Michael Gibson, its director of bank supervision and regulation, on why the central bank is not moving immediately to impose new rules. "The Fed's proposal yesterday is a timid step, it was too slow in coming, and there is still too much that we do not know about these activities and investments," said Senator Sherrod Brown, who led the hearing. The panel also questioned whether banks should be forced to disclose more about the size and scope of their commodities activities and if banks' involvement in those markets has inflated the costs of key raw materials, such as aluminum. Full Story | Top |
| Saudi-Qatar rivalry divides Syrian opposition Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 03:49 PM PST  By Khaled Yacoub Oweis AMMAN (Reuters) - Rivalry between Qatar and Saudi Arabia has fuelled wrangling within the Syrian opposition that threatens to prevent a united rebel delegation attending international peace talks next week. Sources in the Syrian National Coalition and diplomats from foreign powers backing the rebels said it remains unclear whether those divisions can be overcome by Friday, when the 120-member Coalition is expected to vote on whether to take part in the conference in Switzerland, known as Geneva-2. ... Full Story | Top |
| Springsteen, Fallon lampoon N.J. Governor Christie's 'Bridgegate' Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 03:26 PM PST  By Barbara Goldberg and Edith Honan NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie might be trying turn attention away from the September traffic jam scandal dogging his political aspirations, but late-night talk show hosts and Democratic lawmakers are not letting up. Christie, a likely Republican candidate for the White House in 2016, has said he was devastated by his aides' role in the four-day tie-up on the busy George Washington Bridge. Wednesday on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" the host enlisted New Jersey-raised rock star Bruce Springsteen, who Christie has said he adores, to lampoon the governor with a riff on the lane closures titled "We're stuck in Governor Chris Christie's Fort Lee, New Jersey, traffic jam". Sung to the tune of Springsteen's hit song "Born to Run", it begins, "In the day we sweated out on the streets, stuck in traffic on the GWB". Full Story | Top |
| New York City to pay $18 million to settle lawsuits over 2004 arrests Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 03:21 PM PST By Jonathan Allen and Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - The city of New York announced on Wednesday that it agreed to pay close to $18 million to settle hundreds of federal civil lawsuits brought by people who claimed they were unfairly arrested during the 2004 Republican National Convention. The New York Civil Liberties Union, which filed the first cases related to the convention arrests, said it is the "largest protest settlement in history." The deal requires approval from U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan in Manhattan federal court. It would end nearly a decade of litigation in all but a handful of cases that stemmed from the arrest of more than 1,800 people during demonstrations at the convention where President George W. Bush was nominated to run for a second term in office. Many were held in a temporary detention facility, where some claimed they were kept for two days in squalid conditions before seeing a judge, far exceeding the 24 hours that New York courts deem reasonable. Full Story | Top |
| Senate panel says attack on U.S. post in Benghazi was preventable Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 03:20 PM PST  By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Intelligence Committee said on Wednesday that the deadly September 11, 2012, attack by militants on U.S. government posts in Benghazi, Libya, was preventable and faulted the State Department for inadequate security precautions. In the months before the attacks on an American diplomatic post and CIA compound in Libya's second-largest city, U.S. intelligence agencies had issued numerous reports warning that security in eastern Libya was deteriorating and that U.S. personnel and posts in Benghazi were at risk, according to a declassified report issued by the committee. But the committee said the State Department "failed to increase security enough to address the threat," even though the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi had suffered two earlier, but less damaging, attacks during the previous six months. Four Americans, including Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, were killed when militants attacked the lightly protected U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi and a better-fortified CIA base nearby on the night of September 11. Full Story | Top |
| Texas, Ohio fight over Air Force One where LBJ took oath Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 03:10 PM PST  By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The foundation that backs the library for President Lyndon Baines Johnson is locking horns with the Air Force museum in Ohio over an Air Force One jet that Johnson admirers believe belongs in Texas. The LBJ Foundation is seeking to have the modified Boeing 707 that came into service under President John F. Kennedy and in which Johnson took the oath of the presidency hours after Kennedy's assassination, transported to Austin and put on display near the LBJ Presidential Library. "It would mean so much and it would become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Texas," said Tom Johnson, chairman emeritus of the LBJ Foundation. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Democratic lawmaker Moran to retire after 12 terms Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 02:55 PM PST  By Thomas Ferraro and Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. Representative Jim Moran, a 12-term Virginia liberal, on Wednesday became the third member of his party this week to announce he will not seek re-election in November. The announcements came amid growing signs that President Barack Obama's party faces a steep climb in its bid to win control of the House of Representatives from Republicans in this year's elections. He said he was ready to retire from Congress when his term ends this year. Moran's district lies just south of Washington. Full Story | Top |
| Obamacare 'surge' persists into 2014 in some states Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 02:53 PM PST  By Sharon Begley NEW YORK (Reuters) - The late-December surge that pushed enrollment in private health insurance plans under Obamacare past 2.1 million people continued into 2014, officials of several state-run insurance marketplaces said on Wednesday. It was encouraging news for White House hopes of signing up 7 million Americans by March 31, the deadline for 2014 coverage under President Barack Obama's healthcare law. That goal has appeared elusive due to the disastrous performance of HealthCare.gov, the federal enrollment portal through which Americans in 36 states sign up to buy health insurance, in October and November, even as the websites of many of the 15 state-run exchanges fared better. The Washington Health Benefit Exchange has had about 8,000 enrollments in private health plans since late December, bringing the total to just over 73,000. Full Story | Top |
| No earmarks in U.S. spending bill, but plenty of money for folks back home Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 02:51 PM PST  By Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Earmarks may be a thing of the past for Congress, but lawmakers still tout their ability to deliver the bacon through a $1.1 trillion federal spending bill that won passage in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. The 1,582-page bill is officially free of the spending for pet projects that spurred public outrage and were banned in 2010 after Republicans won control of the House of Representatives. Republican Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas said in a press release that he helped win $404 million for a home-state facility to study foreign animal disease outbreaks. Republican Rep. Mike Simpson highlighted spending increases he secured for a nuclear-research facility in his Idaho district. Full Story | Top |
| Spanish protesters riot in Madrid, 11 people hurt Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 02:49 PM PST  A Madrid demonstration in sympathy with protests in the northern Spanish city of Burgos against a local government plan to convert a street into a tree-lined boulevard turned violent on Wednesday, leading to 11 arrests and 11 injuries. Rioters tossed smoke bombs, threw chairs from street terraces and burned garbage containers in central Madrid after a march that began in the capital's Puerta del Sol square and ended near the ruling conservative People's Party (PP) central headquarters. It was one of 46 protests across Spanish cities on Wednesday against the state-financed project in Burgos that has stoked public fury. The local government has put the plan on hold in light of the protests. Full Story | Top |
| Apple to refund at least $32.5 million in disputed kids' app purchases Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 02:46 PM PST  By Diane Bartz and Alina Selyukh WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Apple Inc will refund consumers at least $32.5 million to settle a longstanding complaint that the technology company billed U.S. consumers for charges incurred by children through mobile apps without their parents' consent. Under the terms of the settlement, announced on Wednesday by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Apple also will be required to change its billing practices to ensure it obtains consent from parents before charging for such in-app spending. "Whether you're doing business in the mobile arena or the mall down the street, fundamental consumer protections apply," said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. "You cannot charge consumers for purchases they did not authorize." She estimated that children spent millions of dollars without their parents' knowledge, with one mother telling the agency that her daughter spent $2,600 while playing the game "Tap Pet Hotel." Ramirez said the commission had received "tens of thousands of complaints" from consumers over the unauthorized purchases through apps such as Dragon Story and Tiny Zoo Friends. Full Story | Top |
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