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Friday, March 9, 2012 12:05 AM PST

Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Afghanistan, U.S. to sign prison transfer deal: officials Japan government keeps up pressure, BOJ seen on hold Campaign against Ugandan warlord sweeps Internet Greece gets 85.8 percent take-up in swap, to enforce losses France says Greece debt swap good news Analysts' View: Greece gets 85.8 percent take-up for bond swap deal Libya PM "not aware" of arming, training Syria rebels UN's Ban cites gains in fighting world poverty UK and Italian hostages killed in Nigeria Embattled Chinese leadership contender defends policies Gambia opposition plans parliament vote boycott Ghana is "model" of African democracy: Obama Brazil football chief takes medical leave BofA in side deal with government on mortgage foreclosures: WSJ Deal not sealed, Romney hits Santorum with big ad buys Syrian rebels reject Annan's call for dialogue Why online security is taxing our brains Factbox: Hunted Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony Campaign against Ugandan warlord sweeps Internet Clash with Iran could see use of huge, new U.S. bomb Briton, Italian die as Nigeria hostage rescue fails Greece swap numbers "look promising": IMF's Lagarde Court blocks more parts of Alabama immigration law Anti-government, hate groups growing: report Mississippi high court says some pardons by former governor valid Four more generals defect from Syrian army: rebels Syrian rebels reject Annan's call for dialogue Keystone oil pipeline bill fails in Senate House Republicans riven by internal battle over spending Lawmakers, in rare show of unity, pass small business bill Greek swap take-up of 95 percent assumes losses enforced: official House Republicans look to reshape birth control debate Facebook alumni flex muscles, dabble in politics House speaker ready to drop stalled transport bill Court blocks more parts of Alabama immigration law Analysis: Tax break goes far beyond the factory floor SEC charges ex-Coca-Cola Enterprises VP Israel asks U.S. for arms that could aid Iran strike Ottawa averts Air Canada strike, lockout Keystone oil pipeline bill fails in Senate Afghanistan, U.S. to sign prison transfer deal: officials Thu,8 Mar 2012 11:29 PM PST Reuters - KABUL (Reuters) - An agreement on the transfer of U.S.-run detention centers to Afghan authorities is expected to be signed on Friday, two Afghan officials said, improving the prospects of a strategic partnership deal allowing for long-term U.S. involvement in the country. The officials said a memorandum of understanding would be signed at the foreign ministry. (Reporting by Hamid Shalizi; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani) Full Story Top Japan government keeps up pressure, BOJ seen on hold Thu,8 Mar 2012 11:22 PM PST Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government on Friday kept up pressure on the central bank to further support an economic recovery, but the Bank of Japan appears set to hold monetary policy steady at its regular policy meeting next week. With market jitters over Greek debt swap talks easing, the yen weakening and share prices rising, the central bank is unlikely to move again after last month's surprise easing, sources familiar with its thinking say. ... Full Story Top Campaign against Ugandan warlord sweeps Internet Thu,8 Mar 2012 11:17 PM PST Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A video calling for the arrest of Joseph Kony, the fugitive leader of the Lord's Resistance Army militia group in Uganda, swept across the Internet this week, attracting a wave of support on Twitter and Facebook along with a skeptical backlash against a little-known team of filmmakers based in San Diego. The 30-minute YouTube video was the centerpiece of a campaign that spread on Twitter beginning on Tuesday via hashtags such as #Kony2012 and #stopkony. By Thursday, the YouTube video had been viewed almost 40 million times, while Tweets about Kony had become the No. ... Full Story Top Greece gets 85.8 percent take-up in swap, to enforce losses Thu,8 Mar 2012 11:10 PM PST Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece said on Friday that 85.8 percent of private creditors had accepted its bond swap offer and that the rate would reach 95.7 percent with the use of collective action clauses to enforce the deal. In a statement following closure of the offer late on Thursday, the finance ministry said 172 billion euros in total had been tendered for the deal, which will force investors to take losses of as much as 74 percent on their holdings. ... Full Story Top France says Greece debt swap good news Thu,8 Mar 2012 11:09 PM PST Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Francois Baroin said on Friday that Greece's negotiated debt-swap deal was good news and avoided a default for the debt-laden country. "It's good news, it's a good success," Baroin told RTL radio. "It's something that allows us to stay on a voluntary basis that avoids the risk of default." He said he also had confidence in the Spanish government's ability to resolve its large deficit pile. (Reporting by John Irish; Editing by James Regan) Full Story Top Analysts' View: Greece gets 85.8 percent take-up for bond swap deal Thu,8 Mar 2012 11:08 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - Greece claimed a major success for its bond swap offer to private creditors on Friday after it won heavy acceptance for a deal that averts the immediate risk of an uncontrolled default on its massive public debt. The Finance Ministry said that 85.8 percent of private creditors had accepted its bond swap offer and that the rate would reach 95.7 percent with the use of collective action clauses to enforce the deal. ... Full Story Top Libya PM "not aware" of arming, training Syria rebels Thu,8 Mar 2012 10:36 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Libya's prime minister on Thursday denied Russian accusations that his country was running camps to train and arm Syrian rebels but expressed strong support for Syrians "who are raising their voice asking for freedom." Libyan Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keib, speaking to reporters after meeting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington, said his country had been the first to recognize Syria's national opposition council. "We did it because we felt that the Syrian cause is a good cause. It's people who are raising their voice asking for freedom," El-Keib ... Full Story Top UN's Ban cites gains in fighting world poverty Thu,8 Mar 2012 10:35 PM PST Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The world has been able to meet some of the U.N. goals of reducing poverty and raising living standards in developing nations, though some regions like sub-Saharan Africa are not reaping many benefits, the U.N. chief said on Thursday. There has been "broad progress" in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters. The goals are targets adopted by world leaders at the United Nations in 2000 to slash poverty, hunger and disease in poor countries by 2015. ... Full Story Top UK and Italian hostages killed in Nigeria Thu,8 Mar 2012 10:35 PM PST Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - A Briton and an Italian held hostage in Nigeria were killed by their captors before they could be freed by a rescue mission, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Thursday. Cameron said he had authorised the failed operation, conducted with the Nigerian government, after being told the men's lives were in "imminent and growing danger". Cameron said Briton Chris McManus and Italian Franco Lamolinara had been taken hostage in Northern Nigeria in May 2011. "Preparations were made to mount an operation to attempt to rescue Chris and Franco. ... Full Story Top Embattled Chinese leadership contender defends policies Thu,8 Mar 2012 10:33 PM PST Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - A senior Chinese politician, whose prospects for Communist Party leadership are under a cloud, on Friday defended himself and his handling of an aide who fled to a U.S. consulate and sparked a political storm that has spilled into China's annual parliament. Bo Xilai, the telegenic and controversial Communist Party chief of the southwestern municipality of Chongqing, told a news conference that he was taken by surprise when the city's Vice Mayor Wang Lijun fled to the U.S. consulate last month. ... Full Story Top Gambia opposition plans parliament vote boycott Thu,8 Mar 2012 10:29 PM PST Reuters - BANJUL (Reuters) - Six Gambian opposition parties said on Thursday they will boycott a parliamentary election due to be held later this month, saying it would not be transparent and urging mediators to secure a postponement of the vote. The group boycotting the poll includes the UDP party, the main opposition to President Yahya Jammeh. However, the second-largest rival NRP has said it will stand in the March 29 vote. ... Full Story Top Ghana is "model" of African democracy: Obama Thu,8 Mar 2012 10:27 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama praised the African state of Ghana on Thursday as a model of democracy and growth in a continent that many Americans associate with poverty and violence. "There's sometimes a tendency to focus on the challenges that exist in Africa - and rightfully so," said Obama, who sat beside Ghana's president, John Atta Mills, in the Oval Office. "But I think it's important for us to also focus on the good news that's coming out of Africa, and I think Ghana continues to be a good-news story," he said, warmly thanking Mills for the hospitality shown the U.S. ... Full Story Top Brazil football chief takes medical leave Thu,8 Mar 2012 10:23 PM PST Reuters - SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The president of Brazil's soccer confederation (CBF) and head of the country's 2014 World Cup organizing committee Ricardo Teixeira has taken a medical leave of absence, Brazilian state soccer chiefs said on Thursday. Teixeira, who did not specify how long he would be absent, has been head of the CBF for more than two decades but is the subject of repeated corruption allegations. He is reported to be suffering from diverticulitis, a painful inflammation of the bowel lining. ... Full Story Top BofA in side deal with government on mortgage foreclosures: WSJ Thu,8 Mar 2012 09:19 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - Bank of America, one of five banks in $25 billion settlement with the government over foreclosure practices, has struck a side deal that will allow it to reduce penalties in return for bigger cuts to borrowers' mortgage balances, the Wall Street Journal said. Bank of America will make deeper and broader cuts than other banks, which will allow it to avoid as much as $850 million in penalties and give more than 200,000 financially strapped households the opportunity to sharply reduce their mortgage balances, the paper said. ... Full Story Top Deal not sealed, Romney hits Santorum with big ad buys Thu,8 Mar 2012 09:11 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mitt Romney's presidential campaign would like to be focusing its attacks on Democratic President Barack Obama around now. But after failing to seize control of the Republican nomination race on "Super Tuesday," Romney cannot shake off rival Rick Santorum, whom he criticized on Thursday as a political insider. Opening up a new front against Santorum, the Romney campaign accused him of being a lobbyist in his home state of Pennsylvania even before he went to Washington in 1991. ... Full Story Top Syrian rebels reject Annan's call for dialogue Thu,8 Mar 2012 08:44 PM PST Reuters - CAIRO/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Kofi Annan, the U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria, said he would urge President Bashar al-Assad and his foes to stop fighting and seek a political solution, drawing angry rebukes from dissidents. "The killing has to stop and we need to find a way of putting in the appropriate reforms and moving forward," Annan said on Thursday in Cairo ahead of his trip to Damascus on Saturday. Syrian dissidents reacted with dismay and said government repression had destroyed prospects of a negotiated deal. ... Full Story Top Why online security is taxing our brains Thu,8 Mar 2012 08:28 PM PST Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nathan Acosta is feeling a little overwhelmed. The 24-year-old from Raleigh, North Carolina, who works for a financial services firm, is trying his best to keep up with all the passwords and security questions he has to juggle, just to log onto his personal accounts. But sometimes it feels like a losing battle. It's a battle millions of consumers can identify with. For a while it was just your mother's maiden name, then your first pet, the street you grew up on or the make and model of your first car. ... Full Story Top Factbox: Hunted Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony Thu,8 Mar 2012 07:45 PM PST Reuters - KAMPALA (Reuters) - A video about Uganda's reclusive rebel leader Joseph Kony and the atrocities his Lord's Resistance Army has committed over more than 20 years has become a top trend on the social media site Twitter. Here are some facts about Kony and his rebel group, which is being hunted in the dense forests of central Africa by Ugandan and U.S. troops. * Self-proclaimed mystic Joseph Kony was indicted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for crimes against humanity in 2005. * In May 2006, the top U.S. diplomat in Africa said the administration of then-President George W. ... Full Story Top Campaign against Ugandan warlord sweeps Internet Thu,8 Mar 2012 07:39 PM PST Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A video calling for the arrest of Joseph Kony, the fugitive leader of the Lord's Resistance Army militia group in Uganda, swept across the Internet this week, attracting a wave of support on Twitter and Facebook along with a skeptical backlash against a little-known team of filmmakers based in San Diego. The 30-minute YouTube video was the centerpiece of a campaign that spread on Twitter beginning on Tuesday via hashtags such as #Kony2012 and #stopkony. By Thursday, the YouTube video had been viewed almost 40 million times, while Tweets about Kony had become the No. ... Full Story Top Clash with Iran could see use of huge, new U.S. bomb Thu,8 Mar 2012 07:27 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 30,000-pound (13,600-kg) bunker buster bomb designed to smash through some 200 feet of concrete before exploding is a "great weapon" that could be used by U.S. forces in a clash with Iran over its nuclear program, an Air Force general said on Thursday. Lieutenant General Herbert Carlisle, Air Force deputy chief of staff for operations, said the massive ordnance penetrator, which the military began receiving only last year, is part of the U.S. arsenal available for strikes against countries like Iran, which has some buried nuclear facilities. ... Full Story Top Briton, Italian die as Nigeria hostage rescue fails Thu,8 Mar 2012 07:23 PM PST Reuters - SOKOTO, Nigeria (Reuters) - A Briton and an Italian held hostage in Nigeria were killed by their captors on Thursday as a joint British-Nigerian rescue mission stormed a compound to try to free the men, witnesses and security officials said. British Prime Minister David Cameron said he had authorised Britain's involvement in the rescue attempt after being told the men's lives were in "imminent and growing danger". ... Full Story Top Greece swap numbers "look promising": IMF's Lagarde Thu,8 Mar 2012 07:13 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A historic bond swap aimed at reducing Greece's crushing debt and averting default looks promising, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Thursday. In an interview with Charlie Rose on PBS television, Lagarde said it appeared the participation rate of private creditors in the restructuring deal would be high. "As we speak, it looks like it's going through, and it looks as if the numbers will be promising," Lagarde said. Lagarde also said she believed the risk of an acute crisis in the Euro zone had been removed for now. ... Full Story Top Court blocks more parts of Alabama immigration law Thu,8 Mar 2012 06:22 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - An appeals court ordered the state of Alabama on Thursday to stop enforcing additional parts of its controversial new immigration law, pending review of a federal challenge to the measure that is considered the toughest in the nation. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, based in Atlanta, issued a brief order expanding its initial injunction to include provisions that barred illegal immigrants from obtaining a driver's license and barred courts from enforcing contracts that involved illegal immigrants. ... Full Story Top Anti-government, hate groups growing: report Thu,8 Mar 2012 06:20 PM PST Reuters - WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) - The number of hate and anti-government groups in the United States continued to rise last year, fueled by racial tensions, conspiracy theories and anger over economic inequality, according to a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The most explosive growth came from the so-called Patriot movement, whose adherents view the federal government as their enemy. The Patriot movement reached a peak in 1996, a year after right-wing extremist Timothy McVeigh set off a truck bomb outside the Oklahoma City federal building, killing 168 people. ... Full Story Top Mississippi high court says some pardons by former governor valid Thu,8 Mar 2012 06:04 PM PST Reuters - STARKVILLE, Mississippi (Reuters) - Ten pardons granted to prisoners by former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour just before he left office are valid and should be carried out, a divided Mississippi Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood had asked the court to void those pardons, among some 200 issued by the former Republican governor in January, on the grounds that technical procedures set out in the state constitution had not been met. ... Full Story Top Four more generals defect from Syrian army: rebels Thu,8 Mar 2012 05:39 PM PST Reuters - BEIRUT/PARIS (Reuters) - Four more high-ranking officers have defected from the Syrian armed forces and joined the year-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's rule, two rebel groups said on Thursday. The men fled over the past three days to a camp for Syrian army deserters in southern Turkey, according to Lieutenant Khaled al-Hamoud, a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army (FSA). He told Reuters by telephone from Turkey the desertions bring to seven the number of brigadier generals who have defected. ... Full Story Top Syrian rebels reject Annan's call for dialogue Thu,8 Mar 2012 05:35 PM PST Reuters - CAIRO/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Kofi Annan, the U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria, said he would urge President Bashar al-Assad and his foes to stop fighting and seek a political solution, drawing angry rebukes from dissidents. "The killing has to stop and we need to find a way of putting in the appropriate reforms and moving forward," Annan said on Thursday in Cairo ahead of his trip to Damascus on Saturday. Syrian dissidents reacted with dismay and said government repression had destroyed prospects of a negotiated deal. ... Full Story Top Keystone oil pipeline bill fails in Senate Thu,8 Mar 2012 05:25 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Democrats on Thursday defeated a Republican proposal to give a permit to the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline in a vote that will give Republicans more ammunition to criticize President Barack Obama's energy policies on the campaign trail. Republicans argue the pipeline, which would ship oil from Canada and northern states to Texas, would create jobs and improve energy security at a time of surging gasoline prices. Obama put TransCanada's $7 billion project on hold earlier this year pending further environmental review. ... Full Story Top House Republicans riven by internal battle over spending Thu,8 Mar 2012 05:01 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A battle among Republicans in the House of Representatives over government spending laid bare on Thursday deep divisions that threaten the party's hopes of major gains in the November congressional elections. House Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress, faced a new challenge to his authority as lawmakers aligned to the budget-slashing Tea Party movement ignored his plea to support a $260 billion job creation measure he had championed. ... Full Story Top Lawmakers, in rare show of unity, pass small business bill Thu,8 Mar 2012 04:11 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a rare display of election-year bipartisanship, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to make it easier for small businesses, the engine of the U.S. economy, to raise capital and eventually hire workers. With unemployment hovering above 8 percent, both Democrats and Republicans are eager to show voters they are trying to create jobs ahead of the November 6 elections. But the passage of the bill stood in stark contrast to the partisan gridlock that has stymied much bigger job creation measures in recent months. ... Full Story Top Greek swap take-up of 95 percent assumes losses enforced: official Thu,8 Mar 2012 03:56 PM PST Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece will top an acceptance rate of 95 percent in a bond swap plan only after collective action clauses that enforce losses on any holdouts are imposed, a government official said. Another Greek government official had earlier said the participation rate was nearing 95 percent before the 2000 GMT deadline expired. A third official said participation had topped 85 percent on debt regulated under Greek law. (Reporting by George Georgiopoulos, Writing by Deepa Babington) Full Story Top House Republicans look to reshape birth control debate Thu,8 Mar 2012 03:41 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Republican leaders are looking for a way to reshape the debate over the administration's new rule on birth-control insurance coverage before moving ahead with a bid to nullify the requirement. Representative Jeff Fortenberry, who has introduced legislation on the issue, acknowledged hesitation by some fellow Republicans to take on the incendiary issue. But he said a delay could give Republicans time to recast the issue as a question of religious freedom rather than women's rights. ... Full Story Top Facebook alumni flex muscles, dabble in politics Thu,8 Mar 2012 03:32 PM PST Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook's original friends are moving into politics. Small investments in NationBuilder, a political campaign software startup, by a tight-knit group of Facebook alumni suggest how they might spread their wealth around Silicon Valley in coming months, especially after the world's largest Internet social network goes public. NationBuilder said Thursday it has raised $6.25 million in an investment round led by Andreessen Horowitz, the venture capital firm founded by high-tech entrepreneurs Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. ... Full Story Top House speaker ready to drop stalled transport bill Thu,8 Mar 2012 03:25 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, signaling a lack of Republican support for a stalled $260 billion transportation bill, said on Thursday he was ready to pursue a less ambitious version under consideration by the Democratic-controlled Senate. A day after imploring House Republicans to end their deep divisions over the five-year measure to rebuild roads, bridges and railways, Boehner moved a step closer to giving up on the troubled House bill altogether. ... Full Story Top Court blocks more parts of Alabama immigration law Thu,8 Mar 2012 02:53 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - An appeals court on Thursday ordered the state of Alabama to stop enforcing additional parts of its tough new immigration law pending its review, expanding its earlier injunction blocking key sections of the law. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, based in Atlanta, issued a brief order expanding its initial injunction to include provisions that barred illegal immigrants from obtaining a driver's license and barred courts from enforcing contracts that involved illegal immigrants. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Tax break goes far beyond the factory floor Thu,8 Mar 2012 02:42 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama summons the image of a scrappy auto worker or high-tech engineer when he calls for expanding a major corporate tax break for manufacturing, but he might just as well evoke the coffee-shop barista or the cable guy. Broadening the $18 billion-a-year deduction for American manufacturing is a cornerstone of Obama's plan to revamp corporate taxes. Under the plan, all corporations would be subject to much lower tax rates, with even bigger breaks for manufacturers. ... Full Story Top SEC charges ex-Coca-Cola Enterprises VP Thu,8 Mar 2012 02:41 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Securities regulators charged a former Coca-Cola Enterprises executive on Thursday with insider-trading, saying his illegal trades helped him reap $86,850 in illicit profits. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's case, filed in a federal district court in California, alleges that former Coca-Cola Enterprises Vice President Steven Harrold, 53, bought company stock in his wife's brokerage account after learning his company planned to acquire The Coca-Cola Co's bottling operations in Norway and Sweden. ... Full Story Top Israel asks U.S. for arms that could aid Iran strike Thu,8 Mar 2012 02:40 PM PST Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has asked the United States for advanced "bunker-buster" bombs and refueling planes that could improve its ability to attack Iran's underground nuclear sites, an Israeli official said on Thursday. "Such a request was made" around the time of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington this week, the official said, confirming media reports. ... Full Story Top Ottawa averts Air Canada strike, lockout Thu,8 Mar 2012 02:31 PM PST Reuters - TORONTO/OTTAWA (Reuters) - Government headed off a simultaneous strike and lockout at the country's largest airline on Thursday, referring two labor disputes at Air Canada to a federal tribunal. The labor actions would have halted services during a particularly busy week for Air Canada, as spring break shuts down many Canadian schools and families travel. "We all know that it's March Break," Labour Minister Lisa Raitt told reporters. "We know this can have an effect on Canadian families, especially since this is a really peak travel season. ... Full Story Top Keystone oil pipeline bill fails in Senate Thu,8 Mar 2012 02:29 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democrats on Thursday defeated a Republican proposal to take quick action on the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline, in a vote that will give Republicans more ammunition to criticize President Barack Obama's energy policies on the campaign trail. TransCanada's $7 billion project has been supported by some Democrats in the past, but Obama took the unusual step of calling some senators personally and asking them to vote against the proposal, drawing immediate fire from Republican leaders. The measure needed 60 votes to pass, but fell four short. ... Full Story Top

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