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Murdoch-sparked media inquiry recommends new Australian watchdog
Thu,1 Mar 2012 10:51 PM PST
Reuters - CANBERRA (Reuters) - An Australian inquiry sparked by concerns about journalistic practices at Rupert Murdoch's News Corp on Friday recommended a new government-funded body to set and enforce standards across the country's tightly owned media. Murdoch's local arm News Ltd immediately rejected the recommendation for a "News Media Council" which could force media to uphold journalistic ethics and issue an apology, correction or retraction, or grant a person right of reply. ... Full Story | Top |
Mozambique plans to tax Cove Energy sale
Thu,1 Mar 2012 10:42 PM PST
Reuters - MAPUTO (Reuters) - Mozambique wants to impose a capital gains tax on the sale of Cove Energy Plc, the Africa-focused gas explorer at the centre of a bidding war. Minerals Minister Esperanca Bias said on Thursday the government wants to introduce the tax to benefit from a transaction linked to its own resources. Mozambique has become a target for resource-hungry investors due to its vast reserves of coking coal and major gas discoveries off its shores. Royal Dutch Shell Plc made an $1. ... Full Story | Top |
Obama taps New York donors despite Wall Street ire
Thu,1 Mar 2012 10:41 PM PST
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Barack Obama returned to New York on Thursday for a series of high-end fundraising events, tapping Wall Street donors whose generosity has been strained by U.S. financial reforms that many bankers oppose. Facing the multimillion-dollar election war chests of his Republican rivals, Obama has raised $136 million so far in the 2012 presidential race, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. But only $2.3 million has so far come from the securities and investment industry, compared to the $7. ... Full Story | Top |
Man jailed in Arizona school shooting; one injured
Thu,1 Mar 2012 10:39 PM PST
Reuters - PHOENIX (Reuters) - A man suspected of opening fire with a rifle outside an Arizona high school on Thursday, leaving one teenage boy slightly injured, was arrested and jailed on attempted murder, assault and weapons charges, authorities said. The shooting occurred at a high school in Willcox, about 195 miles southeast of Phoenix, at around 3:15 p.m. local time (2215 GMT), according to the Cochise County Sheriff's Department. Willcox Police Chief J. Weaver said the suspect, identified as Arthur Tineo, 40, of Willcox, offered no explanation for his actions. ... Full Story | Top |
U.S.-Russia ties strained during Putin political campaign
Thu,1 Mar 2012 10:36 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Verbal sparring between the United States and Russia has taken on an ugly tone lately, and Vladimir Putin's determination to reclaim the Kremlin in a presidential election on Sunday does not augur well for a fresh start with Washington. In one recent U.S.-Russian spat, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called "despicable" the Russian veto of a U.N. resolution backing an Arab League plan for transition of power in Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad's forces have brutally attacked demonstrators. ... Full Story | Top |
Obama, Netanyahu set to confront divisions over Iran
Thu,1 Mar 2012 10:30 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Just days before what could be the most consequential meeting of U.S. and Israeli leaders in years, aides to President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are scrambling to bridge stark differences over what Washington fears could be an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear sites. Further complicating Monday's White House talks is a trust deficit between the two men that has been magnified by mounting pressures of the U.S. presidential campaign. Obama's Republican foes are eager to paint him as too tough on Israel and too soft on Iran. ... Full Story | Top |
New Australia foreign minister may be future leader
Thu,1 Mar 2012 09:53 PM PST
Reuters - CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard lured one of the ruling party's elder statesmen out of retirement to become her new foreign minister on Friday, a bold move that gives her unpopular government a potential leadership alternative. Gillard appointed Bob Carr, a strong ally and former premier of the New South Wales state, to replace Kevin Rudd, who quit as foreign minister a week ago and then lost a leadership challenge against Gillard on Monday. ... Full Story | Top |
Slow connection: Myanmar test for IT crowd
Thu,1 Mar 2012 09:52 PM PST
Reuters -  (Reuters) - Myanmar has fewer phones per capita than any other country and probably the fewest Internet connections, and that has regional telecoms and IT companies licking their lips. But behind those statistics lies more than simply a virgin market waiting to be tapped. Myanmar has been run by generals for decades, leaving not only pent-up demand for connectivity, but also a complex web of interests and a unique ecosystem of technological make-do. All of which will require careful navigation by would-be investors. ...
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US underscores Egypt NGO concerns as staffers depart
Thu,1 Mar 2012 09:21 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday expressed continued concern over Egypt's crackdown on pro-democracy groups following an Egyptian court order permitting the departure of American nongovernmental organization staffers who had been under a travel ban. "We are very pleased that the Egyptian courts have now lifted the travel ban on our NGO employees. The U.S. government has provided a plane to facilitate their departure and they have left the country. They are currently en route home," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. ... Full Story | Top |
Guinea election body sets July 8 legislative poll
Thu,1 Mar 2012 09:20 PM PST
Reuters - CONAKRY (Reuters) - Guinea's electoral commission said on Thursday it would hold its delayed parliamentary election on July 8, a vote that could help the West African state unblock donor aid potentially worth billions of dollars. The legislative poll, which had been due last December, should mark the final step in Guinea's transition from military to civilian rule. The European Union has said it will only resume full cooperation with Guinea after the polls are held. ... Full Story | Top |
Suspected Islamists burn down seven Nigerian schools
Thu,1 Mar 2012 09:06 PM PST
Reuters -  MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Arsonists suspected to be members of Islamist sect Boko Haram have burned down seven schools in northeastern Nigeria the past few days, authorities said on Thursday, a new twist in the group's increasingly violent insurgency. Thousands of children have been left without schools in the middle of their term. Boko Haram, an Islamist movement styled on the Taliban, is waging a low level insurgency against the government that is radiating out from its heartland in the remote northeastern city of Maiduguri right across the north. ...
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Thousands flee from Nigeria crackdown on Boko Haram
Thu,1 Mar 2012 09:04 PM PST
Reuters -  NIAMEY (Reuters) - At least 10,000 people have fled northern Nigeria for neighbouring Niger and Chad to escape a military sweep targeting members of Islamist militant group Boko Haram, officials said on Thursday. Niger's government said that at least 10,000 of its citizens had returned from northern Nigeria over the past six months, and the International Organisation for Migration said more than 800 Chadians had done the same in recent days. ...
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Voting begins in Iran's election
Thu,1 Mar 2012 08:55 PM PST
Reuters -  TEHRAN (Reuters) - Polls opened on Friday for a parliamentary election in Iran that will test the popularity of the clerical establishment at a time of a standoff with the West over the country's nuclear program. State radio reported polling stations opened their doors to voters at 8 a.m. (0430 GMT). They are due to close at 6 p.m. (1430 GMT), although this time has been extended in past votes. The parliamentary vote is expected to reflect a deepening power struggle between political and religious hardliners. ...
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Arizona sheriff says Obama's birth certificate a "forgery"
Thu,1 Mar 2012 08:52 PM PST
Reuters - PHOENIX (Reuters) - A tough-talking Arizona sheriff, already embroiled in a Justice Department bias investigation, waded deeper into controversy on Thursday with an assertion that a probe by his office found President Barack Obama's birth certificate was a forgery. Most Republican critics of Obama have given up pursuing such widely discredited "birther" allegations. ... Full Story | Top |
Senator Snowe's retirement causes "chaos" in Maine
Thu,1 Mar 2012 08:44 PM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - Senator Olympia Snowe's decision to not seek re-election in November has roiled politics in Maine with both of the state's U.S. House members and at least two former governors considering runs for her seat. Snowe, a popular pro-choice Republican in her 18th year in the Senate after 16 years in the House, was expected to easily win another term but stunned politicians and the public alike with a Tuesday announcement she would bow out, citing an "atmosphere of polarization" in Congress. ... Full Story | Top |
U.S. NATO ambassador says Afghan policy intact
Thu,1 Mar 2012 08:38 PM PST
Reuters - CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to NATO said on Thursday the alliance is committed to its policy in Afghanistan despite recent attacks on military advisers and U.S. soldiers in a violent outcry against the burning of copies of the Koran at a NATO military base. "What happened in the last few days are the kinds of thing which we condemn, that are unacceptable," Ivo Daalder told reporters after a speech to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. "But we can't have a few situations, which are tragic, ... be the determining factor in our policy. We think we have the right policy. ... Full Story | Top |
Romney campaign downplays Ohio's importance
Thu,1 Mar 2012 08:17 PM PST
Reuters - BELLEVUE, Washington (Reuters) - After eking out a slim victory in his home state of Michigan, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign said Thursday the front-runner for the party's nomination can survive a loss next week in the critical state of Ohio. A senior Romney adviser seemed to be lowering expectations for the crown jewel of the 10 states that will hold primaries or caucuses next week on "Super Tuesday. ... Full Story | Top |
Federal judge in Montana criticized over racist Obama
Thu,1 Mar 2012 05:58 PM PST
Reuters - A federal judge in Montana who used official court email to circulate a racist joke about President Barack Obama has acknowledged the indiscretion and initiated a misconduct complaint against himself, court officials said on Thursday. Full Story | Top |
World can replace oil lost to Iran sanctions: U.S.
Thu,1 Mar 2012 05:42 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Global oil producers appear to have enough spare capacity to make up for Iranian exports curtailed by tough new sanctions, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said on Thursday. Chu said it was important that sanctions be used to crimp Iranian oil sales to ensure Tehran does not develop nuclear weapons, despite the release of an Energy Information Administration report this week that showed supplies are tight. ... Full Story | Top |
Obama taps New York donors despite Wall Street ire
Thu,1 Mar 2012 05:09 PM PST
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Barack Obama returned to New York on Thursday for a series of high-end fundraising events, tapping Wall Street donors whose generosity has been strained by U.S. financial reforms that many bankers oppose. Facing the multi-million dollar election warchests of his Republican rivals, Obama has raised $136 million so far in the 2012 presidential race, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. But only $2.3 million has so far come from the securities and investment industry, versus the $7. ... Full Story | Top |
Loss of Arctic sea ice may lead to mercury deposits: NASA study
Thu,1 Mar 2012 05:08 PM PST
Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Significant declines in perennial Arctic sea ice over the past decade may be intensifying a chemical reaction that leads to deposits of toxic mercury, a NASA-led study showed on Thursday. The study found that thick, perennial Arctic sea ice was being replaced by a thinner and saltier ice that releases bromine into the air when it interacts with sunlight and cold, said Son Nghiem, a NASA researcher at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. ... Full Story | Top |
Obama, Republicans spar over gasoline prices
Thu,1 Mar 2012 05:01 PM PST
Reuters -  NASHUA, New Hampshire (Reuters) - Facing intensifying election-year attacks over rising gasoline prices, President Barack Obama sought to shift the spotlight onto oil and gas companies on Thursday by pushing for the repeal of U.S. tax breaks that benefit the industry. Obama's speech in New Hampshire, in the backyard of leading Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney, was part of a White House strategy to blunt a bid by Republicans to blame a spike in energy prices on the president's energy policies. ...
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Pennsylvania judge may approve Harrisburg recovery plan
Thu,1 Mar 2012 04:57 PM PST
Reuters - HARRISBURG (Reuters) - Following a day-long hearing filled with unexpected emotion and court theatrics, a Pennsylvania judge said she is "inclined" to approve the first part of a recovery plan for the financially hobbled City of Harrisburg. Pennsylvania's capital, with a population of about 50,000, is mired in $326 million in debt due to the expensive retrofits and repairs of its troubled trash incinerator. After an attempt to file municipal bankruptcy was rejected last year in federal court, a state-appointed receiver, David Unkovic, was tasked with developing a turnaround plan for the city. ... Full Story | Top |
Conservative activist Andrew Breitbart dead at 43
Thu,1 Mar 2012 04:45 PM PST
Reuters -  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Conservative activist Andrew Breitbart, an influential voice in Republican circles known for his online media attacks on liberals, died unexpectedly of natural causes in Los Angeles early on Thursday, his family said. He was 43. Breitbart, the founder of a news website named after himself, was walking late on Wednesday near his Los Angeles home when he collapsed, said his father-in-law, actor Orson Bean. "He collapsed on the sidewalk and the paramedics were there very quickly and they couldn't revive him," Bean told Reuters in a phone interview. ...
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Republicans introduce softer cyber security bill
Thu,1 Mar 2012 04:41 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Eight top Republicans introduced a cybersecurity bill on Thursday aimed at stopping an overarching, bipartisan measure proposed earlier this month in order to better protect critical infrastructure. The measure, introduced by the top Republicans on eight committees, would require federal contractors to inform the government about cyber threats and make it easier for government regulators and corporations to communicate about threats. "We believe that ensuring our nation's cybersecurity is critical. ... Full Story | Top |
Exclusive: DOJ casts wide net with mortgage subpoenas
Thu,1 Mar 2012 04:36 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Justice Department inquiry into the packaging and sale of home loans by the biggest U.S. banks casts a wide net and appears to significantly overlap with other enforcement efforts, according to people who have viewed subpoenas sent to the firms. The civil subpoenas that were sent in January ask for documents related to every offering between 2006 and 2008, including bonds backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, three people familiar with the matter said. An older investigation by the U.S. ...
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Senate rejects Republican birth control challenge
Thu,1 Mar 2012 04:20 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate narrowly backed a key plank of President Barack Obama's healthcare law on Thursday by rejecting a sweeping Republican measure that would have allowed employers to opt out of birth control coverage and other services on moral grounds. Senators voted 51-48 to set aside a measure proposed by Republican Roy Blunt that would have exempted employers like Catholic hospitals, universities and charities from an Obama healthcare provision that requires most employers to offer free insurance coverage for women's contraceptives. ... Full Story | Top |
Greek man shoots two, takes hostages over layoff
Thu,1 Mar 2012 04:16 PM PST
Reuters -  ATHENS (Reuters) - An unemployed man shot and wounded his former boss and one other worker and took another two hostage at a small factory in Greece in protest at losing his job, police said on Thursday. He later released the hostages and turned himself over to police after officers surrounded the factory in northern Greece. Police said the man, a 61-year-old father of two who was laid off about seven months ago, did not harm his captives. ...
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Microsoft hires ex-FTC Google expert as lobbyist
Thu,1 Mar 2012 04:09 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp hired as one of its lobbyists a former Federal Trade Commission lawyer who had access to "thousands" of confidential Google Inc documents, according to a source close to the situation. The software maker took on Randall Long, who led the FTC's investigation into Google's acquisition of AdMob, to be a lobbyist in its Washington office, according to both Google and Microsoft. The hiring, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, is the latest salvo in Microsoft's ongoing battle with Google for dominance of the high-tech world. ... Full Story | Top |
Ann Romney adds personal touch to Mitt's campaign
Thu,1 Mar 2012 04:02 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ann Romney gets it. She is aware that her husband, Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney, has an image problem. Critics say he often seems stiff and reserved on the campaign trail, and has difficulty connecting with voters. That isn't a problem for Ann Romney. She is warm, composed, approachable and careful with her words. The mother of five and grandmother of 16 also has become the behind-the-scenes glue in Mitt Romney's well-organized campaign -- a trusted adviser who keeps a close eye on the news coverage about him and casts him as a personable family man. ...
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Edwards campaign finance trial set for April
Thu,1 Mar 2012 03:59 PM PST
Reuters - GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - A federal campaign finance case against former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards will go to trial in April, U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles said on Thursday. The trial previously was delayed due to a "serious" medical condition cited by Edwards. Jury selection is set to begin in Greensboro, North Carolina, on April 12, and the evidence presentation will start on April 23. Eagles said she expects the trial to last about six weeks. ... Full Story | Top |
Maryland legalizes same-sex marriage; challenge looms
Thu,1 Mar 2012 03:58 PM PST
Reuters - ANNAPOLIS, Maryland (Reuters) - Maryland became the eighth state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage on Thursday, just as opponents were ramping up efforts to repeal the new law at the ballot box. At a ceremony in the state capitol building, Governor Martin O'Malley signed into law the measure he has vigorously advocated, surrounded by a cheering crowd of legislators and gay-marriage supporters. "If there's a thread that unites us all, it's the thread of human dignity," the Democratic governor said. ... Full Story | Top |
EU argues over balance between austerity, growth
Thu,1 Mar 2012 03:44 PM PST
Reuters -  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders argued on Thursday over the right balance between budget austerity and reviving lost growth at the first summit for two years in which the euro zone debt crisis did not eclipse all else. After their finance ministers gave provisional approval to a second bailout for Greece, and a flood of cheap European Central Bank funds calmed bond markets, the 27 leaders used the breathing space to focus on structural economic reforms and other ways to combat record unemployment. ...
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Europe on right path, still fragile: ECB's Draghi
Thu,1 Mar 2012 03:44 PM PST
Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Central Bank is "reasonably satisfied" with its offer of half a trillion euros of cheap funds to lenders and Europe is on a fragile path to recovery, in a much healthier position than three months ago, ECB President Mario Draghi said on Thursday. "We are reasonably satisfied with our LTRO operation," Draghi said a day after the Frankfurt-based bank provided 530 billion euros to 800 banks under its special three-year loans programme to help avoid a credit freeze. ... Full Story | Top |
No EU leeway offered on Spain's deficit
Thu,1 Mar 2012 03:44 PM PST
Reuters - BRUSSELS/MADRID (Reuters) - Spain will get no leeway on its budget targets before May, Spanish Economy Minister Luis De Guindos said on Thursday, but Madrid could opt for defiance when it presents the backbone of its 2012 plan on Friday. Spain has hovered on the fringes of the euro zone crisis as investors worry that its economy, enfeebled by the bursting of a property bubble, puts it at risk of following Greece, Ireland and neighbouring Portugal in seeking a bailout. ... Full Story | Top |
Serbia closer to EU status after years of conflict
Thu,1 Mar 2012 03:28 PM PST
Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union made Serbia a candidate for membership on Thursday in an attempt to promote better government in the western Balkans as the region struggles to emerge from the wars of the 1990s. EU leaders took the decision at a summit in Brussels, launching a potentially lengthy process to bring the former Yugoslav republic into the bloc. It marks a turnaround for Serbia, once seen as the pariah of Balkans for its central role in wars that followed the collapse of Yugoslavia under the leadership of Slobodan Milosevic. ... Full Story | Top |
Romney's tax cuts would blow big hole in budget: report
Thu,1 Mar 2012 03:19 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's plan to dramatically cut U.S. tax rates would dig a $3.4 trillion budget hole that would need to be filled by closing some major tax breaks, a think tank estimated. A campaign spokeswoman for Romney, who is hoping to win his party's race to challenge President Barack Obama in November, said the think tank's analysis is misleading and incomplete. ... Full Story | Top |
Obama, Republicans spar over gasoline prices
Thu,1 Mar 2012 03:15 PM PST
Reuters -  NASHUA, New Hampshire (Reuters) - Facing intensifying election-year attacks over rising gasoline prices, President Barack Obama sought to shift the spotlight onto oil and gas companies on Thursday by pushing for the repeal of U.S. tax breaks that benefit the industry. Obama's speech in New Hampshire, in the backyard of leading Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney, was part of a White House strategy to blunt a campaign by Republicans to blame a spike in energy prices on the president's energy policies. ...
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Syria to let Red Cross into Homs rebel bastion
Thu,1 Mar 2012 03:13 PM PST
Reuters - GENEVA (Reuters) - Syrian authorities will let Red Cross and Red Crescent aid workers enter the Baba Amro district of Homs Friday to deliver supplies and evacuate the sick and wounded, said an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) spokesman. The move came as a three-week Syrian army siege of the neighborhood appeared to be ending Thursday with the withdrawal of rebel forces. ... Full Story | Top |
Syria opposition chiefs at odds over military body
Thu,1 Mar 2012 03:13 PM PST
Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - The leaders of the political and armed wings of Syria's opposition appear to be at odds over the authority of a military council that was announced Thursday, underscoring divisions that are hampering efforts to lead an uprising. Syrian National Council (SNC) leader Burhan Ghalioun said his political opposition group had formed a military body to oversee and organize armed rebels within the country under a unified leadership. "The creation of the military council was agreed upon by all armed forces in Syria," he told a news conference in Paris on Thursday. ... Full Story | Top |
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