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Friday, March 2, 2012 12:00 AM PST

Today's Reuters News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Syrian rebels flee shattered stronghold American activists fly out of Egypt, defusing row EU argues over balance between austerity, growth Exclusive: DOJ casts wide net with mortgage subpoenas Ann Romney adds personal touch to Mitt's campaign Obama, Netanyahu set to confront divisions over Iran Conservative activist Andrew Breitbart dead at 43 Fed officials flag soft economy but mum on easing Exclusive: Facebook seeking bigger credit line: sources AT&T standardizes data throttling practices Western sanctions tighten squeeze on Iran oil exports Conservative activist Andrew Breitbart dead at 43 Suspect in Ohio school shooting charged with murder Midwest cleans up from tornadoes, more storms forecast Factory growth cools, spending stagnant Two U.S. soldiers killed at base in Afghanistan UK media inquiry preparing to call Rupert Murdoch BNP Paribas says is only a witness in Madoff probe EU agencies say Google breaking law: commissioner Senate rejects Republican birth control challenge Buyout firms struggle to repair image under Romney spotlight Europe drags on world economy, U.S. fares better North Korea-U.S. deal revives hopes of nuclear disarmament talks China's big factories rebound as smaller firms lag Greece secures provisional approval for new bailout Russia on collision course as Putin plots return Romney appeals for working-class votes in Ohio Oil pushes up euro zone prices, unemployment rises James Murdoch gives up News International role Obama to talk energy in Romney's backyard Stanford swindle among history's worst: prosecutor Factory, income data support growth outlook Bernanke warns of slow progress ahead on jobs Japan says may cancel Lockheed F-35 if price rises "Pray for us" say Syria rebels as army closes in Goldman manager investigated in insider trade case: source North Korea agrees to nuclear moratorium, IAEA inspections Egypt to lift travel ban on U.S. democracy activists "Follow the money," prosecutor tells Stanford jury Former top Citigroup executive Terri Dial dies Syrian rebels flee shattered stronghold Thu,1 Mar 2012 03:55 PM PST Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Defeated Syrian rebels abandoned their shattered stronghold in Homs, giving way to a 26-day army assault on a city that had become a symbol of the year-long revolt against President Bashar al-Assad. Activists said Syria's army had begun hunting down and killing insurgents who stayed to cover their comrades' "tactical retreat" from the city's battle-scarred Baba Amro district, although the reports could not be verified independently. ... Full Story Top American activists fly out of Egypt, defusing row Thu,1 Mar 2012 02:56 PM PST Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. pro-democracy activists flew out of Egypt on Thursday after the authorities lifted a travel ban, a move that is likely to defuse the worst row between Washington and Cairo in decades. Egyptian authorities had accused the campaigners, including the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, of working for groups receiving illegal foreign funding and prevented them from leaving the country. U.S. officials said the case, as long as it was unresolved, jeopardized $1. ... 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. ... 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. ... 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. ... Full Story Top Obama, Netanyahu set to confront divisions over Iran Thu,1 Mar 2012 11:56 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 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. ... Full Story Top Fed officials flag soft economy but mum on easing Thu,1 Mar 2012 03:59 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and other top officials of the U.S. central bank on Thursday highlighted risks to the economic recovery despite recent signs of strength, but offered few hints that any additional monetary stimulus might be needed. Bernanke told lawmakers there was reason to be suspicious of the recent decline in unemployment given the weakness of economic growth. "There's still a bit of a contradiction between the improvement in the labor market and the speed of the overall recovery," Bernanke said in a second day of testimony to Congress. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: Facebook seeking bigger credit line: sources Thu,1 Mar 2012 02:57 PM PST Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc plans to increase its $2.5 billion credit line to help cover a major tax hit when employee stock awards vest shortly after it goes public, according to two sources familiar with the company's plans. The world's largest social media network, which boosted its borrowing capacity by two-thirds just six months ago, is taking advantage of its strong position to get more financing for its phenomenal growth, the sources said. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about such plans. ... Full Story Top AT&T standardizes data throttling practices Thu,1 Mar 2012 03:35 PM PST Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - AT&T Inc has standardized rules for subscribers with unlimited data service plans after a public outcry about its practice of slowing down speeds for its heaviest users, but the change also drew sharp criticism. The No. 2 U.S. mobile service provider said on Thursday that instead of varying its speed throttling practices from location to location, it will now slow down services for all unlimited-use customers who have used a specific amount of data. ... Full Story Top Western sanctions tighten squeeze on Iran oil exports Thu,1 Mar 2012 02:56 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Western trade sanctions against Iran are strangling its oil exports even before they go into effect, a U.S. advisory body has found, amid warnings that any shortages will only push up crude prices and strain a weak global economy. With crude prices trading around 10-month highs and limited spare production capacity worldwide, the United States may offer Iran's biggest customers waivers from the oil sanctions, which take effect June 28. Iran is the world's fifth largest oil exporter and the second-biggest producer in OPEC after Saudi Arabia. ... Full Story Top Conservative activist Andrew Breitbart dead at 43 Thu,1 Mar 2012 03:00 PM PST Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Conservative activist Andrew Breitbart, an influential voice in U.S. Republican politics known for his attacks on liberals and Democrats, died unexpectedly of natural causes in Los Angeles early on Thursday, his family said. He was 43. Breitbart was walking last night 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. ... Full Story Top Suspect in Ohio school shooting charged with murder Thu,1 Mar 2012 03:16 PM PST Reuters - CHARDON, Ohio (Reuters) - Prosecutors in Ohio on Thursday formally charged 17-year-old T.J. Lane with three counts of aggravated murder, two counts of aggravated attempted murder and one count of felonious assault in Monday's shooting rampage that claimed three students' lives. Lane will have a hearing next week before a juvenile court judge in Geauga County to determine if he will be charged as an adult, as is permitted under Ohio law. As a juvenile, he is ineligible for the death penalty. ... Full Story Top Midwest cleans up from tornadoes, more storms forecast Thu,1 Mar 2012 03:57 PM PST Reuters - HARRISBURG, Illinois (Reuters) - Residents of storm-tossed midwestern towns searched for photographs and mementos from their ruined homes on Thursday as the death toll from a line of tornado-producing storms rose to 13, while more storms bore down on the region. Adding to the toll, a 53-year-old man who was trapped in his collapsed home in Harveyville, Kansas, was removed from life support at hospital and died, state officials said on Thursday. ... Full Story Top Factory growth cools, spending stagnant Thu,1 Mar 2012 02:57 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. manufacturing cooled in February and consumer spending was flat for a third straight month in January, suggesting the economy lost more steam early this year than expected. "Things aren't so rosy in the garden and the consumer is still facing significant headwinds," said Ray Attrill, a currency strategist at BNP Paribas in New York. Other reports on Thursday were more upbeat, with new claims for jobless benefits last week hovering near four-year lows and retailers and automakers enjoying brisker February sales. ... Full Story Top Two U.S. soldiers killed at base in Afghanistan Thu,1 Mar 2012 02:58 PM PST Reuters - KABUL (Reuters) - Two U.S. soldiers were shot and killed on Thursday in an attack involving at least one Afghan believed to be a soldier and a civilian, Western and Afghan officials said, the second such incident in a week and one likely to deepen doubts about Afghanistan's security forces. The killings at a base in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan came after two senior U.S. officers were gunned down in the Afghan Interior Ministry on Saturday by what Afghan security officials say was a police intelligence official. ... Full Story Top UK media inquiry preparing to call Rupert Murdoch Thu,1 Mar 2012 01:07 PM PST Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - The judicial inquiry into alleged media abuses is preparing to summon British newspaper owners, including Rupert Murdoch, to give public testimony in late April or early May, according to sources close to the inquiry. One of the sources said that some of the proprietors to be called to testify have been notified of the intentions of the judge leading the inquiry, but did not know if Murdoch had yet been notified. ... Full Story Top BNP Paribas says is only a witness in Madoff probe Thu,1 Mar 2012 12:44 PM PST Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - France's biggest listed bank, BNP Paribas, said on Thursday it was only a "witness" in a French magistrate's inquiry into convicted fraudster Bernard Madoff's $65 billion Ponzi scheme, after a website reported it faced being put under investigation for potentially fraudulent behavior. The report, posted on Mediapart's website, cited an unnamed source saying a Paris court had called for an investigation into the way BNP handled clients' investments in funds that channelled money to Madoff. ... Full Story Top EU agencies say Google breaking law: commissioner Thu,1 Mar 2012 06:44 AM PST Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Data protection agencies in European countries have concluded Google Inc's new privacy policy is in breach of European law, EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said Thursday. France's data protection watchdog, the CNIL, has also cast doubt on the legality of the policy and informed Google it would lead a European-wide investigation into this. Reding told BBC Radio Four data control authorities in Europe asked French counterparts to analyze the new policy. ... Full Story Top Senate rejects Republican birth control challenge Thu,1 Mar 2012 01:32 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate narrowly backed a key plank of President Barack Obama's healthcare reform 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 Buyout firms struggle to repair image under Romney spotlight Thu,1 Mar 2012 07:09 AM PST Reuters - Berlin (Reuters) - They may have had Bob Geldof as headline speaker, but as private equity executives headed home after their annual industry gathering in Berlin, many acknowledged they still had much to do to repair their image as unscrupulous corporate raiders. Thrust afresh into the spotlight by the attempt of former buyout supremo Mitt Romney to become the next President of the United States, private equity bosses have been fighting a rear guard action against claims of self-interested asset stripping and job cutting, as well as their preferential tax treatment. ... Full Story Top Europe drags on world economy, U.S. fares better Thu,1 Mar 2012 11:08 AM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) - Prospects for a sustained global economic recovery darkened on Thursday as sputtering factory activity in Europe overshadowed more upbeat data from Asia, even as central banks are running out of policy options and are reluctant to do more. United States data was mixed. Factory activity unexpectedly cooled last month, but further signs of strength in the labor market suggested the world's largest economy remained on a more self-sustaining recovery path. U.S. manufacturing data showed that the rate of growth slowed in February as orders fell. ... Full Story Top North Korea-U.S. deal revives hopes of nuclear disarmament talks Thu,1 Mar 2012 08:21 AM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea has agreed with the United States to suspend major elements of its atomic weapons program in a surprise breakthrough that could pave the way for the resumption of long-stalled nuclear disarmament talks with the secretive state. But the announcement, made simultaneously on Wednesday in Pyongyang and Washington and accompanied by pledges of U.S. food aid, was met with very guarded optimism by analysts and diplomats who noted that efforts to defuse tensions on the divided Korean peninsula had seen many false dawns. ... Full Story Top China's big factories rebound as smaller firms lag Thu,1 Mar 2012 04:13 AM PST Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - China's factories grew more than expected in February as new export orders for big firms bounced back, a government survey showed, while a private-sector report portrayed a different picture of smaller companies lagging behind the rebound. China's official purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to 51.0, above expectations of 50.7 and higher than 50.5 in January, while the final reading of the HSBC PMI stood at 49.6, a shade higher than January's reading of 48.8, but still under the 50-point threshold demarcating expansion from contraction. ... Full Story Top Greece secures provisional approval for new bailout Thu,1 Mar 2012 11:00 AM PST Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Greece has taken all the legal action needed to secure a second bailout from the euro zone countries, Eurogroup President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Thursday, opening the door to the first tranche to be paid out by March 20 if more conditions are met. The money can be paid out only after the completion of a bond swap between Athens and private investors which is to be concluded by March 9 and which aims to halve Greece's privately-held debt, cutting it by 100 billion euros. ... Full Story Top Russia on collision course as Putin plots return Thu,1 Mar 2012 05:36 AM PST Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin is all but certain to return to Russia's presidency with the same swagger, bravado and fighting talk against the West as when he entered the Kremlin 12 years ago. But the country he will get the chance to lead for another six years after an election on Sunday has changed, and he is on a collision course with Western powers and a newly confident middle class demanding a freer and fairer Russia. ... Full Story Top Romney appeals for working-class votes in Ohio Wed,29 Feb 2012 03:18 PM PST Reuters - BEXLEY, Ohio (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney appealed for the support of working-class Americans in industrial Ohio on Wednesday, a day after narrowly averting a humiliating defeat by rival Rick Santorum in Romney's home state of Michigan. Romney focused almost exclusively on the U.S. economy, China and stiff criticism of President Barack Obama's leadership at his first campaign events after Tuesday's Michigan primary. ... Full Story Top Oil pushes up euro zone prices, unemployment rises Thu,1 Mar 2012 03:49 AM PST Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Unemployment in the euro zone in January hit its highest since the launch of the currency area but a rise in inflation underlined concerns over oil prices that is likely to prevent swift further moves by the European Central Bank to help growth. As the 17-nation currency area heads into its second recession in three years, relief that the euro zone has put the worst of its debt crisis behind it is being tainted by rising world crude prices and only mildly improving business morale. Unemployment in the euro zone rose to 10. ... Full Story Top James Murdoch gives up News International role Wed,29 Feb 2012 12:59 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - James Murdoch resigned as executive chairman of News International on Wednesday, raising new doubts he can succeed his father Rupert as CEO of parent company News Corp in the wake of a phone hacking scandal at the unit he oversaw. It also raises the possibility that one of his older siblings -- Elisabeth or Lachlan -- could emerge as an eventual contender for the top job, according to people familiar with the matter. ... Full Story Top Obama to talk energy in Romney's backyard Thu,1 Mar 2012 08:24 AM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Facing intensifying election-year attacks over rising energy prices, President Barack Obama will seek on Thursday to shift the spotlight onto oil and gas companies by calling for the repeal of tax breaks that benefit the industry. Republicans are seeking to use the energy issue to deny the president a second term, and Obama plans to push back on that criticism during a trip to Republican White House candidate Mitt Romney's backyard of New Hampshire. ... Full Story Top Stanford swindle among history's worst: prosecutor Wed,29 Feb 2012 04:12 PM PST Reuters - HOUSTON (Reuters) - Allen Stanford perpetrated one of the biggest thefts in history, a U.S. prosecutor said on Wednesday as the former financier's trial neared its end. Stanford, 61, is on trial in federal court in Houston, accused of running a $7 billion Ponzi scheme. Jurors began deliberations after hearing final arguments from prosecutors and defense attorneys. "It was one of the greatest thefts in history. Billions of dollars," prosecutor Gregg Costa said as he summed up the government's case. "Fraud is just theft wearing a business suit," he said. ... Full Story Top Factory, income data support growth outlook Wed,29 Feb 2012 02:23 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The economy grew slightly faster than initially thought in the fourth quarter and a gauge of factory activity in the Midwest hit a 10 month-high in February, pointing to underlying strength in the economy. Gross domestic product expanded at a 3 percent annual rate, the quickest pace since the second quarter of 2010, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday in its second estimate. The reading, which was up from the 2. ... Full Story Top Bernanke warns of slow progress ahead on jobs Wed,29 Feb 2012 01:46 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday offered a tempered view of the U.S. economy, pouring cold water on the notion that recent upbeat signs herald a stronger recovery. Bernanke told Congress that unless growth accelerated, the unacceptably high U.S. unemployment rate would not keep dropping. But he stopped short of signaling further Fed bond purchases, dashing the hopes of some traders in financial markets who were betting on more monetary stimulus. "The job market is far from normal," Bernanke said. "Continued improvement ... ... Full Story Top Japan says may cancel Lockheed F-35 if price rises Wed,29 Feb 2012 04:13 PM PST Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan may cancel orders for Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jets if the price rises or deliveries are delayed, Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka said on Wednesday, casting doubt on Tokyo's choice of next-generation combat aircraft. Tokyo has warned Washington against increasing the price, but this was the first time Tanaka publicly raised the possibility of cancelling the order. The Pentagon this month confirmed plans to put off its own orders for 179 F-35s over the next five years to save $15. ... Full Story Top "Pray for us" say Syria rebels as army closes in Wed,29 Feb 2012 01:01 PM PST Reuters - AMMAN (Reuters) - Heavy fighting raged near Baba Amro in Homs on Wednesday after elite Syrian troops attacked the rebel-held bastion that has endured 25 days of siege and fierce bombardment, activists said. "Pray for the Free Syrian Army. Do not be miserly in your prayers for them," opponents of President Bashar al-Assad said in a statement, as diplomats spoke of his brother's feared 4th Armoured Division mounting a drive to "finish off" the rebels. ... Full Story Top Goldman manager investigated in insider trade case: source Wed,29 Feb 2012 02:02 PM PST Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors are investigating David Loeb, a managing director of Goldman Sachs Group Inc, as part of an insider-trading probe focusing on the company's hedge-fund clients, a person familiar with the case said on Wednesday. Loeb works with technology hedge-fund employees, including an Asia-based analyst, Henry King, who is also under investigation, according to another source briefed on the case. The sources declined to be identified because the matter is not public. ... Full Story Top North Korea agrees to nuclear moratorium, IAEA inspections Wed,29 Feb 2012 12:10 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea agreed on Wednesday to stop nuclear tests, uranium enrichment and long-range missile launches, and to allow checks by nuclear inspectors, in an apparent policy shift that paves the way for resuming long-stalled disarmament talks. The surprise breakthrough, announced simultaneously by the U.S. State Department and North Korea's official news agency, makes possible the resumption of six-nation nuclear negotiations with Pyongyang. It followed talks between U.S. and North Korean diplomats in Beijing last week. ... Full Story Top Egypt to lift travel ban on U.S. democracy activists Wed,29 Feb 2012 01:50 PM PST Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has decided to lift a travel ban preventing American pro-democracy activists from leaving the country, judicial sources said on Wednesday, a move that is likely to defuse a standoff that has plunged U.S.-Egyptian ties into a crisis. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she had no confirmation that the travel ban was lifted but also said she expected the row over the activities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to be resolved "in the very near future." U.S. officials have said $1.3 billion in annual military aid has been put at risk by the case. ... Full Story Top "Follow the money," prosecutor tells Stanford jury Wed,29 Feb 2012 02:24 PM PST Reuters - HOUSTON (Reuters) - Allen Stanford lied to his investors and stole their money to spend on himself, a U.S. prosecutor said on Wednesday, near the end of the former financier's five-week trial on charges of criminal fraud. "If you follow the money, that path, that road, leads straight to Allen Stanford," prosecutor William Stellmach said as he summed up the government's case against Stanford in federal court in Houston. Stanford is accused of using the deposits of investors in his bank in Antigua to finance a playboy lifestyle. ... Full Story Top Former top Citigroup executive Terri Dial dies Wed,29 Feb 2012 02:25 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - Terri Dial, a former senior executive of some of the world's largest banks and one of the leaders of Citigroup's post-crisis restructuring, has died. Dial, 62, died Tuesday of pancreatic cancer, according to media reports. Citi Chief Executive Vikram Pandit sent a message to the bank's staff Wednesday confirming her passing. "Starting as a teller, she rose to become one of the most influential bankers of her generation -- and by any measure, one of the most powerful women in our industry," Pandit said. ... Full Story Top

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