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| Obama highlights the defense hit in budget cuts battle Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 11:39 AM PST  NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia (Reuters) - President Barack Obama took his case for softening the effect of deep budget cuts to a shipyard town dependent on defense contracting on Tuesday, but there was little sign he will be able to halt automatic cuts from starting this week. "These cuts are wrong. They are not smart, they're not fair. They are a self-inflicted wound that doesn't have to happen," he told workers in Newport News, Virginia. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ohio teen pleads guilty to killing three in school shooting Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 11:29 AM PST  CHARDON, Ohio (Reuters) - An Ohio teenager pleaded guilty on Tuesday to killing three students and wounding three others in a February 2012 shooting rampage at a high school in Chardon, a small town east of Cleveland. T.J. Lane, now 18, entered his guilty plea in Geauga County court one day before the first anniversary of the attack in the high school cafeteria. Lane had previously pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. "I'm glad this is over," said Bob Parmertor, father of 16-year-old Daniel Parmertor, one of Lane's victims. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight: Syria rebels bolstered by new arms but divisions remain Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 11:25 AM PST  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels have received advanced weapons aimed at narrowing the arms gap with President Bashar al-Assad's forces and reinforcing a new rebel military command which Western countries hope can dilute the strength of Islamist fighters. Several rebel commanders and fighters told Reuters that a shipment which reached Syria via Turkey last month comprised shoulder-held and other mobile equipment including anti-aircraft and armor-piercing weapons, mortars and rocket launchers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Santander boss planning to appeal court's pardon ruling Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 11:22 AM PST MADRID (Reuters) - The Chief Executive of Spain's Santander , Alfredo Saenz, is planning to appeal a court ruling that reinstated his criminal record, according to a source at the bank with knowledge of his legal team's thinking. Spain's Supreme Court this month partially annulled a 2011 pardon of a conviction held by Saenz, 70, reviving a long-running case. The Supreme Court's ruling two weeks ago has created a headache for Saenz and authorities at the Bank of Spain, which has to decide Saenz's fate as CEO of the euro zone's biggest bank. The Bank of Spain declined to comment on Tuesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Home prices cap year with biggest rise since 2006 Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 11:21 AM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Home prices closed out 2012 with the biggest annual gain in more than six years while sales of new homes spiked in January, the latest sign that the long-suffering housing market was on the mend, data showed on Tuesday. American consumers, meanwhile, grew more optimistic in February even as payroll taxes rose and about $85 billion worth of government spending cuts were due to take effect on March 1. "The numbers are all pretty strong. ... Full Story | Top |
| SEC budget in line of fire as House panel seeks cuts Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 11:20 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans on a House financial panel on Tuesday said Wall Street and housing regulators need to learn to do more with less, as Washington tries to tame deficits by cutting back on spending. The House Financial Services Committee voted to release a 19-page policy document that does not call for specific levels of cuts but singles out agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, for not using resources wisely. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate clears way for likely approval of Pentagon nominee Hagel Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 11:16 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate voted on Tuesday to end a delay in the nomination of Chuck Hagel as President Barack Obama's new secretary of defense, clearing the way for his expected approval as civilian leader at the Pentagon within hours. The Senate voted 71-27 to end debate and move forward, almost two weeks after Republicans launched a filibuster to block Hagel's nomination. It was the first time such a procedural tactic had been used to delay consideration of a nominee for secretary of defense. ... Full Story | Top |
| Maradona denies he owes tax on return to Naples Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 11:15 AM PST  NAPLES (Reuters) - Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona denied he owed millions of euros in unpaid Italian taxes on Tuesday after he was mobbed by media and fans on his return to Naples where he twice led the local team to league titles. The tax collection agency says it is owed almost 40 million euros ($52.3 million) by the former World Cup winner, most of which is interest built up since 1984 when he joined Serie A club Napoli. "I am innocent," Maradona told a news conference in the southern Italian city. "I want to believe in the Italian justice system - I don't owe them a lira. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tibet exiled leader blames self-immolations on China policy Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 11:14 AM PST  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Beijing's attempts to stop Tibetans setting themselves on fire to protest against Chinese rule are counter-productive and are only provoking more self-immolations, the Tibetan prime minister in exile told Reuters on Tuesday. Lobsang Sangay, who replaced the Dalai Lama as the political leader of exiled Tibetans in 2011, said Beijing first branded self-immolators as thieves and then as homeless. Later they blamed his government in exile. ... Full Story | Top |
| Soccer-Maradona denies he owes tax on return to Naples Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 11:13 AM PST NAPLES, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona denied he owed millions of euros in unpaid Italian taxes on Tuesday after he was mobbed by media and fans on his return to Naples where he twice led the local team to league titles. The tax collection agency says it is owed almost 40 million euros ($52.3 million) by the former World Cup winner, most of which is interest built up since 1984 when he joined Serie A club Napoli. "I am innocent," Maradona told a news conference in the southern Italian city. "I want to believe in the Italian justice system - I don't owe them a lira. ... Full Story | Top |
| New Jersey governor to back Medicaid expansion: report Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 11:08 AM PST  (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will expand the state's healthcare coverage for the poor, joining other Republican governors who have recently opted in favor of the measure under President Barack Obama's federal healthcare reform, media reported on Tuesday. Christie is expected to present his decision to the state's lawmakers later on Tuesday, The Star-Ledger wrote in its Web edition, citing unidentified sources. Republican governors, including Christie, have criticized the Affordable Care Act law. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt-Gaza tunnels must be destroyed: Cairo court Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 11:07 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - A Cairo court ruled on Tuesday the government must destroy all tunnels between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, removing a route for smuggled weapons but also a lifeline for Palestinians. Egypt's ruling Muslim Brotherhood has close ties with the Hamas Islamists that run Gaza, but many Egyptians fear the enclave is a security risk for Egypt. Leftist lawyers said they brought the case with activists to force the government's hand. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mursi's opponents say will boycott Egypt elections Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 11:07 AM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - An alliance of Egyptian opposition parties decided on Tuesday to boycott parliamentary elections in protest at an election law they say favors the Muslim Brotherhood, increasing the chance that Islamists will sweep the vote. The boycott by liberal and leftist parties opposed to President Mohamed Mursi aims to undermine the legitimacy of the vote and shows the polarization that has defined Egyptian politics since Hosni Mubarak was toppled two years ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| Judge rejects WikiLeaks soldier's request to dismiss case Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 11:03 AM PST  FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) - A military judge on Tuesday denied a defense request to dismiss the case against Army Private First Class Bradley Manning in the mass disclosure of military and diplomatic secrets by WikiLeaks. Manning's lawyers filed a motion to dismiss all charges against him, arguing the government had violated their client's right to a speedy trial. ... Full Story | Top |
| Red faces among Italian pollsters who got election wrong Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 11:00 AM PST ROME (Reuters) - Italy's election not only shocked the political establishment to the core, it left polling companies with egg on their face after they completely failed to predict the messy outcome and the spectacular resurgence of Silvio Berlusconi. Opinion polls are banned in the last two weeks before Italian elections and the last public ones on February 8 almost all predicted a clear center-left victory, mostly by around five percentage points. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. halts operations at low-cost Fung Wah bus line Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 10:58 AM PST BOSTON (Reuters) - The United States ordered the Fung Wah bus line, which provides low-cost transportation in the Northeast, to cease carrying passengers on Tuesday after state safety inspectors found numerous problems in its buses. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration told the company "to immediately cease passenger service and provide its entire fleet of 28 motor coaches for thorough and detailed safety inspections. ... Full Story | Top |
| One dead, hundreds of homes flooded in Macedonia Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 10:57 AM PST  SKOPJE (Reuters) - One man was drowned and several hundred homes in Macedonia were flooded on Tuesday as two days of heavy rain drenched farmland and caused power outages in the Balkan country, authorities said. Macedonia's Crisis Management Centre said more than 10 rivers had burst their banks, destroying at least two bridges and flooding homes and thousands of hectares (acres) of farmland in the northeast. A 51-year-old man from the northeastern village of Cvetisnica drowned after he tried to cross a rising river. ... Full Story | Top |
| Four Spanish lenders set to pass properties to bad bank Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 10:56 AM PST  MADRID (Reuters) - Four mid-sized Spanish banks are poised to transfer 14 billion euros ($18.30 billion) of soured property assets to a government-backed "bad bank", which on Tuesday issued bonds to give to the banks as payment and completed a capital hike. The bad bank, known as Sareb, was launched at the end of 2012 as a condition of a 40-billion-euro European rescue of the country's ailing lenders. ... Full Story | Top |
| Big powers offer Iran some sanctions relief, await reply Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 10:55 AM PST  ALMATY (Reuters) - Major powers offered Iran limited sanctions relief in return for a halt to the most controversial part of its atomic work during the first day of nuclear talks on Tuesday, and Iran promised to respond with a proposal on the same scale. The talks in Kazakhstan were the first in eight months between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany - the "P5+1" - on a decade-old dispute that threatens to trigger another war in the Middle East. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia wants U.S. to help foster dialogue in Syria Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 10:52 AM PST  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will urge the United States on Tuesday to press the Syrian opposition to hold direct talks with Damascus, but fears "extremists" now have the upper hand among President Bashar al-Assad's opponents. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said before leaving for Berlin to meet Secretary of State John Kerry that the new U.S. top diplomat seemed to grasp the gravity of the crisis in Syria. He said Washington should lean on the Syrian opposition to drop demands that Assad must leave power before talks can start. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria civil war threatens to pull Lebanon into conflict, U.N. says Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 10:52 AM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations expressed renewed concern on Tuesday that Lebanon could be drawn into Syria's worsening two-year-old civil war, which the world body said had developed sectarian overtones and been aggravated by foreign fighters and extremist groups. U.N. political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman painted what he called an "appalling picture" of the conflict that began as peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad and turned violent when government forces tried to crush the demonstrations. The United Nations says almost 70,000 have been killed in the war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Second Republican says he passes threshold for Massachusetts Senate race Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 10:51 AM PST BOSTON (Reuters) - A second Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate reported on Tuesday that he had collected enough signatures for a spot in the race to vie for the seat previously held by John Kerry, setting the stage for two competitive party primaries in April. Gabriel Gomez, a former Navy SEAL and private equity executive, said his campaign had gathered 25,000 signatures of registered voters, exceeding the 10,000 names required by state law and matching the total claimed by rival Republican Dan Winslow, a state representative. ... Full Story | Top |
| Clinton aide returns to Morgan Stanley Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 10:50 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley has rehired Tom Nides to a senior position after he served as deputy to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for two years. Nides, who previously worked for Morgan Stanley from 2005 to 2010, will work with clients and management as vice chairman and report directly to Chief Executive Officer James Gorman, the bank said in a press release. Nides rejoins Morgan Stanley at a time when it is trying to boost returns and Wall Street must implement a raft of new rules to avoid a repeat of the devastating financial crisis. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria needs grow, rebel-held north out of reach: U.N. Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 10:38 AM PST  GENEVA (Reuters) - The rebel-held north of Syria remains largely out of reach to aid operations, even though they have been stepped up elsewhere in the country torn by civil war, U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said on Tuesday. "We are watching a humanitarian tragedy unfold before our eyes," Amos told a news briefing. "We must do all we can to reassure the people that we care and that we will not let them down. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pentagon unveils plan to tap potential of mobile devices Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 10:33 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon unveiled a plan on Tuesday to ultimately enable the Defense Department's 600,000 users of smartphones, computer tablets and other mobile devices to rapidly share classified and protected data using the latest commercial technologies. The system aims to quickly enable the latest technologies to be securely used by the military while remaining "device agnostic," said Major General Robert Wheeler, a Defense Department deputy chief information officer. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rolling furlough may ease meat industry pain from US budget cuts Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 10:28 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration may institute a "rolling" furlough to keep meat plants open during automatic budget cuts rather than idle all 8,400 U.S. meat inspectors at the same time, a House subcommittee chairman said on Tuesday. Meat packing and processing plants would have to close if all inspectors were furloughed at the same time to comply with the cuts. By law, plants cannot ship meat without the Agriculture Department inspection seal. ... Full Story | Top |
| Soccer-Guimaraes punished for fan violence Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 10:21 AM PST LISBON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Portuguese club Vitoria de Guimaraes will play two matches behind closed doors as punishment for crowd violence in a Second League game between their reserve side and Sporting Braga's team B over the weekend, the Portuguese Football League (LPFP) said on Tuesday. The LPFP published on its website a statement from the Portuguese Football Federation which also said Guimaraes must pay a 10,200 euros fine. (www.lpfp.pt) Sunday's match between the northern clubs was suspended after dozens of fans clashed in the stands. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian opposition alliance to boycott election Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 10:17 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - An alliance of Egyptian opposition parties said on Tuesday it would boycott the parliamentary election, saying there must first be a law guaranteeing a free and fair vote. The National Salvation Front, an umbrella alliance of liberal and leftist groups, made the decision at a meeting in Cairo, spokesman Sameh Ashour said. President Mohamed Mursi has called the four-stage parliamentary election beginning in late April. (Reporting by Yasmine Saleh; Editing by Janet Lawrence) Full Story | Top |
| Korean operators warn Europe of "curse" of 4G networks Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 10:16 AM PST BARCELONA (Reuters) - South Koreans telecom executives have a message for European cousins who have long looked on in envy at the highly connected Asian market: Be careful what you wish for. South Korea, the world's most wired country with 30 percent of its 50 million mobile users on superfast networks, has inspired many European operators ahead of their own rollout of networks based on LTE, or fourth-generation technology. ... Full Story | Top |
| Afghans hold anti-U.S. rally following abuse claims Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 10:11 AM PST  Maiden Shar, AFGHANISTAN (Reuters) - More than five hundred men marched through the capital of Afghanistan's restive Wardak province on Tuesday in an outburst of anger against U.S. special forces accused of overseeing torture and killings in the area. Shouting "Death to America", "Death to Obama" and "Death to special forces", the protesters called for the immediate withdrawal of the American soldiers and threatened to join the Taliban if their demand was not met. A spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced on Sunday that all U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada regulators to propose extended poison pills: paper Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 10:09 AM PST TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian securities regulators want to change the rules on takeover defenses to make it more difficult for hostile bidders to buy Canadian companies, a newspaper reported on Tuesday. The plan being floated would allow companies to keep "poison pill" defenses in place almost indefinitely, greatly enhancing their protection against unwanted suitors, according to the Globe and Mail, which cited sources it did not identify. Poison pills effectively raise the price of a hostile takeover by enabling shareholders to buy additional stock in the target company at a discount. ... Full Story | Top |
| Oxfam criticizes AB Foods on development impact, praises Nestle Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 10:02 AM PST  ZURICH (Reuters) - Associated British Foods scored lowest among 10 of the top food and beverage companies assessed for their social and environmental impact on poor countries, development group Oxfam said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Nestle and Unilever ranked highest for their policies on seven areas assessed by Oxfam as critical to sustainable agriculture: women, small-scale farmers, farm workers, water, land, climate change and transparency. ... Full Story | Top |
| Researchers say Stuxnet was deployed against Iran in 2007 Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 09:51 AM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Researchers at Symantec Corp have uncovered a version of the Stuxnet computer virus that was used to attack Iran's nuclear program in November 2007, two years earlier than previously thought. Planning for the cyber weapon, the first publicly known example of a virus being used to attack industrial machinery, began at least as early as 2005, according to an 18-page report that the security software company published on Tuesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| GM says did not request 2013 pay bump for CEO Akerson Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 09:47 AM PST  DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co denied that it asked U.S. officials to allow for a pay increase of more than 20 percent for its top executive and said its request was misinterpreted for "political points" ahead of a congressional hearing on executive pay. GM submitted a request to U.S. officials to pay Chief Executive Dan Akerson $9 million for 2013, about the same as his 2012 and 2011 pay packages, GM said in a statement on Tuesday. The largest U.S. automaker's statement came in response to media reports that GM wanted to pay Akerson $11.1 million for 2013. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House steps up campaign to avoid spending cuts Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 09:35 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House escalated a campaign on Monday to convince Americans dire consequences await if government spending cuts go ahead on March 1, warning of a slowdown in global trade, a stalled fight against cancer and Alzheimer's disease and compromised security at U.S. borders. At the same time, prominent Republicans said President Barack Obama was overstating the potential damage of the $85 billion in government-wide cuts to frighten the public. "There is a responsible way to cut less than 3 percent of the federal budget. ... Full Story | Top |
| Horse meat sold in beef products in Hungary - watchdog Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 09:34 AM PST BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Horse meat labelled as beef has been sold in Hungary, the National Food Chain Safety Office (Nebih) said on Tuesday. Gyorgy Pleva, director of Nebih told television channel TV2 that the authorities were looking into three separate cases of suspected horse meat found at the retail and wholesale level. "Horse meat certainly got into (shops)," he said, adding that all the shipments investigated by the authority took place last year. Horse meat has been found in beef products across Europe in recent weeks, damaging confidence in the continent's vast and complex food industry. ... Full Story | Top |
| Oxfam slates AB Foods on development impact, praises Nestle Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 09:23 AM PST  ZURICH (Reuters) - Associated British Foods scored lowest among 10 of the top food and beverage companies assessed for their social and environmental impact on poor countries, development group Oxfam said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Nestle and Unilever ranked highest for their policies on seven areas assessed by Oxfam as critical to sustainable agriculture: women, small-scale farmers, farm workers, water, land, climate change and transparency. ... Full Story | Top |
| France says will not negotiate with Cameroon hostage-takers Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 09:21 AM PST  PARIS/BAMAKO (Reuters) - France said on Tuesday it would not negotiate with gunmen claiming to be from Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram who have taken a French family of seven hostage in retaliation for French military intervention in Mali. The three adults and four children were kidnapped in north Cameroon near the Nigerian border last week. In a video posted online, the gunmen said France had declared war on Islam with its campaign in Mali and threatened to kill the hostages unless authorities in Nigeria and Cameroon freed militants there. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bernanke says Fed stimulus benefits clear, budget cuts a risk Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 09:17 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke strongly defended the U.S. central bank's bond-buying stimulus before Congress on Tuesday, easing worries monetary policymakers might be getting cold feet. The Fed chairman also urged lawmakers to avoid sharp spending cuts set to go into effect on Friday, which he warned could combine with earlier tax increases to create a "significant headwind" for the economic recovery. ... Full Story | Top |
| Djibouti police clash with opposition protesters for second day Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013 09:15 AM PST DJIBOUTI (Reuters) - Djibouti security forces fought running battles with opposition supporters for a second day on Tuesday in an attempt to disperse protests against the ruling coalition's parliamentary election victory, witnesses said. Djibouti hosts the United States' only military base in Africa and is an important ally in the U.S.-led fight against militant Islam. The former French colony's port is also used by foreign navies protecting the Gulf of Aden's shipping lanes, some of the busiest in the world, from Somali pirates. ... Full Story | Top |
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