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Wednesday, March 28, 2012 12:00 AM PDT

Today's Reuters News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Americans angry with Obama over gas prices Supreme Court weighs all-or-nothing on healthcare law Pope pushes for change in Cuba, government rebuffs Bernanke: Far too early to call victory in recovery Afghan soldiers arrested over Defence Ministry plot: NYT Annan says Syria accepts peace plan, U.S. skeptical Analysis: French shooting case shows counterterrorism limits North American defense ministers launch joint security forum Consumer confidence wanes, inflation a concern Government proposes first carbon limits on power plants Skeptical justices question Obama healthcare law Pope honors patron saint, heads to meeting with Castro Japan goes off script at nuclear summit to slam North Korea U.S. says working with oil producers to expand production Russia placing blockbuster $7 billion Eurobond deal Killer of Florida teen told police he was attacked first Total: "may be months" to stop North Sea gas cloud Magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits northeast Japan, no damage Urging freedoms for Cuba, pope honors patron saint March consumer confidence dips, inflation view up Bernanke says U.S. needs faster growth Home prices unchanged in January: S&P Three foreign soldiers killed by Afghan forces France's Strauss-Kahn under investigation in pimping case Annan says Syria accepts U.N. peace plan UK asks China to investigate death in ousted Bo's city Exclusive: Blackstone, Bain prepare Michaels Stores IPO Supreme court unlikely to delay healthcare ruling Obama vows to pursue further nuclear cuts with Russia Pope says Church needs more freedom to help Cuba change Three foreign soldiers killed by Afghan forces UK asks China to investigate death in ousted Bo's city Syria replies to Annan; Homs shelled again Immersed in race, Gingrich stays in despite setbacks Analysis: Gas price spike revives fight over energy taxes U.S. regulators push for online "do not track" system Housing market recovery hits pothole in Feb Bernanke's words drive Wall Street up 1 percent Obama tells Russia's Medvedev more flexibility after election Major quake rattles Chile but no serious damage Americans angry with Obama over gas prices Tue,27 Mar 2012 03:13 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the way President Barack Obama is handling high gasoline prices, although most do not blame him for them, according to a Reuters/Ipsos online poll released on Tuesday. Sixty-eight percent disapprove and 24 percent approve of how Obama is responding to price increases that have become one of the biggest issues in the 2012 presidential campaign. In the past month, U.S. fuel prices have jumped about $0.30 per gallon to about $3. ... Full Story Top Supreme Court weighs all-or-nothing on healthcare law Tue,27 Mar 2012 09:01 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The fate of President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul will be on the line on Wednesday when the Supreme Court considers whether the entire law must fall without its centerpiece insurance mandate. Completing three days of historic arguments, the nine justices will hear arguments on whether the rest of the law, Obama's signature domestic accomplishment, can survive should the court decide Congress exceeded its powers by requiring all Americans buy insurance by 2014. ... Full Story Top Pope pushes for change in Cuba, government rebuffs Tue,27 Mar 2012 10:30 PM PDT Reuters - HAVANA (Reuters) - Pope Benedict stepped up his calls for change and a greater role for the Catholic Church in communist-run Cuba on Tuesday but was quickly rebuffed by a senior government official who ruled out political reforms in the one-party state. As the pope's trip drew to a close and Benedict met with President Raul Castro, the Vatican also disclosed it had made a "humanitarian request" to Havana, raising speculation that it might be seeking the release of political prisoners or jailed American Alan Gross. ... Full Story Top Bernanke: Far too early to call victory in recovery Tue,27 Mar 2012 05:39 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Tuesday it is too soon to declare victory in the U.S. economic recovery, warning against complacency in policymaking as the outlook brightens. "We haven't quite yet got to the point where we can be completely confident that we're on a track to full recovery," Bernanke told ABC News in a rare on-the-record interview. The Fed chairman welcomed a decline in the unemployment rate and signs financial strains in debt-stricken Europe were easing. But he said joblessness was still at a troubling high and housing markets still weak. ... Full Story Top Afghan soldiers arrested over Defence Ministry plot: NYT Tue,27 Mar 2012 05:50 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - More than a dozen Afghan soldiers suspected of plotting to attack the Defence Ministry in Kabul were arrested after 10 suicide vests were found inside the ministry, the New York Times reported, citing Afghan and Western officials. Security across Afghanistan has worsened after a string of incidents that have enraged Afghans in recent weeks, including the shooting deaths of 17 civilians in the volatile south more than two weeks ago blamed on a U.S. sergeant. ... Full Story Top Annan says Syria accepts peace plan, U.S. skeptical Tue,27 Mar 2012 03:55 PM PDT Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria has accepted a U.N.-sponsored peace plan, international envoy Kofi Annan said on Tuesday, as troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad raided rebel forces who have taken refuge across the border in Lebanon. The United States reacted skeptically to Annan's announcement, saying it would judge Assad's sincerity in agreeing to the peace plan by what he did and not by what he said, given his record of "over-promising and under-delivering. ... Full Story Top Analysis: French shooting case shows counterterrorism limits Tue,27 Mar 2012 10:08 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mohamed Merah, the French gunman who killed Jewish children and French soldiers and then died in a firefight with police this month, was hardly an unknown quantity to intelligence and law enforcement officials on both sides of the Atlantic. Merah made two trips to Afghanistan between 2010 and 2012, and was detained by U.S. forces during the first. He had a record of moderately serious criminal activities in France. ... Full Story Top North American defense ministers launch joint security forum Tue,27 Mar 2012 06:26 PM PDT Reuters - OTTAWA (Reuters) - North America's three defense ministers declared their first-ever dialogue on common security threats on Tuesday an "historic occasion," even though their main accomplishment was to agree to continue regular discussions. Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay, who hosted the gathering in Ottawa, said he and his counterparts from Mexico and the United States decided to develop a common assessment of threats facing the continent and to cooperate to address them. ... Full Story Top Consumer confidence wanes, inflation a concern Tue,27 Mar 2012 10:52 AM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Americans were more worried about inflation in March than at any time in the last 10 months and consumer confidence waned in the wake of higher gasoline prices. Still, data on Tuesday suggested consumers did not feel the economic recovery was losing momentum, and their view of their present situation rose to the highest level since September 2008, the heart of the financial crisis. A separate report on Tuesday showed U.S. ... Full Story Top Government proposes first carbon limits on power plants Tue,27 Mar 2012 01:19 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration proposed on Tuesday the first rules to cut carbon dioxide emissions from new U.S. power plants, a move hotly contested by Republicans and industry in an election year. The Environmental Protection Agency's proposal would effectively stop the building of most new coal-fired plants in an industry that is moving rapidly to more natural gas. But the rules will not regulate existing power plants, the source of one third of U.S. emissions, and will not apply to any plants that start construction over the next 12 months. ... Full Story Top Skeptical justices question Obama healthcare law Tue,27 Mar 2012 04:29 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration faced skeptical questioning from a U.S. Supreme Court dominated by conservatives on Tuesday during a tense two-hour showdown over a sweeping healthcare law that has divided Americans. A ruling on the law's key requirement that most people obtain health insurance or face a penalty appeared likely to come down to Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Anthony Kennedy, two conservatives who pummeled the administration's lawyer with questions. ... Full Story Top Pope honors patron saint, heads to meeting with Castro Tue,27 Mar 2012 02:20 PM PDT Reuters - HAVANA, Cuba (Reuters) - Pope Benedict urged Cubans to "work for justice" as their country changes and prayed for "those deprived of freedom" in a visit to the shrine for Cuba's patron saint on Tuesday and then flew across the country for talks with President Raul Castro. Upon arrival at the Havana airport, he was greeted by Roman Catholic Church Cardinal Jaime Ortega and Communist Party officials ahead of a late afternoon meeting with Raul Castro and possibly his older brother, former leader Fidel Castro. Benedict, the leader of the world's 1. ... Full Story Top Japan goes off script at nuclear summit to slam North Korea Tue,27 Mar 2012 05:14 AM PDT Reuters - Japan steered off the agenda at a nuclear security summit on Tuesday to hit out at North Korea's plans for a rocket launch next month, as U.S. President Barack Obama cautioned against complacency in dealing with the threat of nuclear terrorism. North Korea and Iran's nuclear weapons programs are not on the agenda at the summit in the South Korean capital, Seoul, and neither country was invited to the forum involving some 50 world leaders tasked with improving security at nuclear facilities. ... Full Story Top U.S. says working with oil producers to expand production Tue,27 Mar 2012 12:10 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is working with Saudi Arabia and other major oil producers to ensure their production is expanded to help mitigate any supply disruptions and tensions caused by Western sanctions on Iran, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday. "The best thing we can do is work with major oil producers to make sure their supply is expanded to meet not just the growing demand from growth but to offset any disruptions," Geithner told a congressional panel. ... Full Story Top Russia placing blockbuster $7 billion Eurobond deal Tue,27 Mar 2012 10:11 AM PDT Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will raise $7 billion in Eurobonds in the largest emerging markets sovereign offering since at least 2000, fully covering its foreign borrowing plan for 2012, sources close to the deal said on Tuesday. Capitalizing on strong oil prices that have boosted confidence in Russia's fiscal performance, the dollar offering attracted bids of $17 billion, leading the Finance Ministry to slightly tighten yield guidance on the three-tranche deal. Russia plans to issue $3 billion in 30-year paper at 250-255 basis points over U.S. ... Full Story Top Killer of Florida teen told police he was attacked first Mon,26 Mar 2012 04:50 PM PDT Reuters - SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - The man who shot and killed an unarmed Florida teenager in a case that has sparked widespread public outrage told police the victim had punched him, knocked him down and slammed his head into the pavement repeatedly before he fired the fatal gunshot. The account of neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, was published for the first time on Monday in the online edition of the Orlando Sentinel. ... Full Story Top Total: "may be months" to stop North Sea gas cloud Tue,27 Mar 2012 12:10 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - A cloud of explosive natural gas boiling up from the North Sea out of a leak at Total's evacuated Elgin platform forced another shutdown off the Scottish coast on Tuesday as the French firm warned it could take six months to halt the flow. Dubbed "the well from hell" by an environmentalist who said the unusually high pressure of the undersea reservoirs made it especially hard to shut off, the loss of oil and gas output from Elgin - as well as the prospect of a big repair bill - helped drive Total's share price down six percent on the Paris bourse. ... Full Story Top Magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits northeast Japan, no damage Tue,27 Mar 2012 04:54 AM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit northeastern Japan on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, but there were no reports of damages or casualties and a tsunami warning was not issued. The quake, which shook buildings in the capital, Tokyo, struck off the northeast coast of the main island of Honshu at a depth of 20.5 miles, the USGS said. Japanese broadcaster NHK and the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no danger of a tsunami. ... Full Story Top Urging freedoms for Cuba, pope honors patron saint Tue,27 Mar 2012 09:56 AM PDT Reuters - SANTIAGO, Cuba (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Tuesday urged Cubans to "work for justice" during a ceremony to pay homage to the island's patron saint, and said he was close to those "deprived of freedom," an apparent reference to political prisoners in the communist-run nation. A steel band played "Ave Maria" and onlookers waved Cuban flags as the pontiff visited a basilica housing the doll-sized figurine of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre on the second day of a papal trip the Roman Catholic Church hopes will foster renewed faith and increase its influence in Cuba. ... Full Story Top March consumer confidence dips, inflation view up Tue,27 Mar 2012 07:02 AM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Consumer confidence dipped in March, while Americans ratcheted up their inflation expectations to the highest level in 10 months, according to a private sector report released on Tuesday. The Conference Board, an industry group, said its index of consumer attitudes eased to 70.2 from an upwardly revised 71.6 the month before. Economists had expected a reading of 70.3, according to a Reuters poll. February's figure was originally reported as 70.8. The expectations index fell to 83.0 from 88. ... Full Story Top Bernanke says U.S. needs faster growth Mon,26 Mar 2012 03:02 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy needs to grow more quickly to bring the unemployment rate down further, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Monday, defending the central bank's policy of very low interest rates. While he offered no indication the Fed is keen to embark on a third round of bond purchases, Bernanke also made clear the central bank is in no rush to reverse course after responding aggressively to a deep recession. The jobless rate has dropped to 8.3 percent from 9. ... Full Story Top Home prices unchanged in January: S&P Tue,27 Mar 2012 06:41 AM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Single-family home prices were unchanged in January, a closely watched survey said on Tuesday, suggesting the battered housing market continues to crawl along the bottom. The S&P/Case-Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas was flat in January on a seasonally adjusted basis. A Reuters poll of economists forecast a decline of 0.2 percent after December's 0.5 percent drop. The flat reading broke a five-month string of declines as the market has been pressured by a low demand, distressed sales and an overhang of pending foreclosures. ... Full Story Top Three foreign soldiers killed by Afghan forces Mon,26 Mar 2012 06:15 PM PDT Reuters - KABUL (Reuters) - Three foreign soldiers, including two Britons, were shot dead by Afghan security forces personnel on Monday in the latest round of so-called insider killings which have raised deep concerns about the reliability of NATO's local allies and their ability to keep the peace. Insider attacks have mounted as tension between Afghanistan and its foreign backers rises over a series of incidents, including the burning of Korans at a NATO base and a massacre of 17 villagers for which a U.S. soldier has been charged. U.S. ... Full Story Top France's Strauss-Kahn under investigation in pimping case Mon,26 Mar 2012 04:44 PM PDT Reuters - LILLE, France (Reuters) - Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was placed under formal investigation on Monday by authorities looking into a suspected prostitution ring in the French city of Lille, his lawyer said, following a day of questioning by judges in a closed courtroom. The investigation on suspicion of complicity in a pimping operation is the latest judicial headache for the Socialist ex-finance minister. The move could lead to a trial but it falls short of charging him. ... Full Story Top Annan says Syria accepts U.N. peace plan Tue,27 Mar 2012 03:47 AM PDT Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - International envoy Kofi Annan said on Tuesday that Syria had accepted a U.N. peace proposal calling for a ceasefire but efforts had to be deployed to implement it. On a two-day visit to Beijing, Annan told Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao that he faced a long and difficult task in his mission to end fighting in Syria, but global cooperation with China and other countries was the only way to do it. ... Full Story Top UK asks China to investigate death in ousted Bo's city Mon,26 Mar 2012 07:43 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON/BEIJING (Reuters) - Britain has asked China to investigate the death of a British man in the southwest Chinese city of Chongqing formerly run by Bo Xilai, the leadership contender whose abrupt ousting shook the ruling Communist Party. The British national, Neil Heywood, died and was cremated in November. Questions about his death have been posted on Chinese microblogs, which linked it to the background of Bo's ouster. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: Blackstone, Bain prepare Michaels Stores IPO Mon,26 Mar 2012 04:47 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Blackstone Group LP and Bain Capital LP plan to take Michaels Stores Inc public, nearly six years after they bought North America's largest retailer of arts and crafts for more than $6 billion, four people familiar with the matter said on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co and Goldman Sachs Group Inc are the leads on what could be one of the year's largest IPOs in the retail sector, the sources said. One of the sources said an IPO registration document is to be filed in April. Blackstone and Bain collectively own 93 percent of Michaels Stores, according to regulatory filings. ... Full Story Top Supreme court unlikely to delay healthcare ruling Mon,26 Mar 2012 03:17 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Monday appeared prepared to decide the fate of President Barack Obama's sweeping healthcare law soon, rather than delaying for years a ruling on the mandate that Americans buy insurance or pay a penalty. In the first of three days of historic arguments, the justices voiced doubt that a U.S. tax law requiring that people pay first and litigate later should postpone a ruling on the legal challenge to the president's signature domestic legislative achievement. ... Full Story Top Obama vows to pursue further nuclear cuts with Russia Mon,26 Mar 2012 06:04 AM PDT Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama vowed on Monday to pursue further nuclear arms cuts with Russia, urged China to follow suit and issued stern warnings to North Korea and Iran in their nuclear standoffs with the West. Acknowledging the United States has more warheads than necessary, Obama held out the prospect of new reductions in the U.S. arsenal as he sought to rally world leaders for additional concrete steps against the threat of nuclear terrorism. ... Full Story Top Pope says Church needs more freedom to help Cuba change Mon,26 Mar 2012 04:42 PM PDT Reuters - SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba (Reuters) - Pope Benedict arrived in Cuba on Monday and told the government it had nothing to fear from the Catholic Church, asking for more freedoms to help the communist country in times of change. Just three days after saying that communism no longer works in Cuba, the pope took a softer stance as he landed in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba for a three-day trip aimed at boosting the Church's role on the island. ... Full Story Top Three foreign soldiers killed by Afghan forces Mon,26 Mar 2012 04:43 PM PDT Reuters - KABUL (Reuters) - Three foreign soldiers, including two Britons, were shot dead by Afghan security forces personnel on Monday in the latest round of so-called insider killings which have raised deep concerns about the reliability of NATO's local allies and their ability to keep the peace. Insider attacks have mounted as tension between Afghanistan and its foreign backers rises over a series of incidents, including the burning of Korans at a NATO base and a massacre of 17 villagers for which a U.S. soldier has been charged. U.S. ... Full Story Top UK asks China to investigate death in ousted Bo's city Mon,26 Mar 2012 04:48 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON/BEIJING (Reuters) - Britain has asked China to investigate the death of a British man in the southwest Chinese city of Chongqing formerly run by Bo Xilai, the leadership contender whose abrupt ousting shook the ruling Communist Party. The British national, Nick Heywood, died and was cremated in November. Questions about his death have been posted on Chinese microblogs, which have linked it to the background to Bo's ouster. ... Full Story Top Syria replies to Annan; Homs shelled again Mon,26 Mar 2012 04:52 PM PDT Reuters - GENEVA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey and Norway closed their embassies in Syria on Monday, further isolating President Bashar al-Assad whose forces bombarded the battered city of Homs with mortars in an effort to quell unrest. Video showed towering flames and thick black smoke billowing from at least two locations in Homs, Syria's third largest city, which has become the epicenter for the year-long revolt. Residents accused the army of indiscriminate shelling. "Every day the shelling goes on. The regime is wiping out the city," said Waleed Faris, an activist who lives in Homs. ... Full Story Top Immersed in race, Gingrich stays in despite setbacks Mon,26 Mar 2012 02:46 PM PDT Reuters - NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Newt Gingrich's Southern strategy to get back into the race for the Republican presidential nomination has collapsed, and his campaign is in the red, but the former U.S. House of Representatives speaker is marching on. Surrounded by a tight-knit team that includes his daughters and his third wife, Callista, Gingrich appears to be enjoying the campaign trail despite his dwindling electoral fortunes. Disliked by his party's establishment, he still receives regular affirmation from die-hard fans and time in the national spotlight. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Gas price spike revives fight over energy taxes Mon,26 Mar 2012 04:03 AM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil, the world's most profitable corporation, says it paid more than 45 percent of its 2011 income in taxes, while critics say it paid much less. So which is it? The answer is that it depends on how the calculation is made and who is making it - a point that is becoming more important as gasoline prices and oil company profits soar. Energy industry taxes are again a political issue, with just months to go before the November 6 congressional and presidential elections. ... Full Story Top U.S. regulators push for online "do not track" system Mon,26 Mar 2012 01:20 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators are pressuring Internet companies to put in place by the end of the year a "Do Not Track" system that would give consumers more control over their personal data online, in a report released on Monday that privacy advocates dismissed as too soft. The Federal Trade Commission's long-awaited 57-page final report on privacy recommendations relies heavily on industry voluntarily adopting best practices. ... Full Story Top Housing market recovery hits pothole in Feb Mon,26 Mar 2012 09:49 AM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Contracts to purchase previously owned U.S. homes unexpectedly fell in February, suggesting a loss of momentum in the housing market after recent signs of improvement. The National Association of Realtors said on Monday its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in February, slipped 0.5 percent to 96.5. Signed contracts become sales after a month or two. The report was the latest in a series to suggest a pause in the tentative housing market recovery in February and a weak start to the spring selling season. However, given that contracts were up 1. ... Full Story Top Bernanke's words drive Wall Street up 1 percent Mon,26 Mar 2012 01:36 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&P 500 rebounded from its worst week so far this year to retake a four-year high on Monday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke signaled supportive monetary policy will remain even though the job picture has begun to improve. The three major U.S. stock indexes climbed 1 percent or more and all 10 S&P 500 sectors advanced. Gains were led by S&P technology shares, with that sector's index up 1.7 percent, and the S&P health care sector index also up 1.7 percent. Shares of International Business Machines, up 1.1 percent at $207.77, gave the Dow its biggest boost. ... Full Story Top Obama tells Russia's Medvedev more flexibility after election Mon,26 Mar 2012 12:05 PM PDT Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - President Barack Obama was caught on camera on Monday assuring outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he will have "more flexibility" to deal with contentious issues like missile defense after the U.S. presidential election. Obama, during talks in Seoul, urged Moscow to give him "space" until after the November ballot, and Medvedev said he would relay the message to incoming Russian president Vladimir Putin. ... Full Story Top Major quake rattles Chile but no serious damage Sun,25 Mar 2012 09:21 PM PDT Reuters - A major earthquake hit central Chile on Sunday, shaking buildings in the capital of Santiago and prompting residents to run out of their houses, though there were no initial reports of injuries or serious damage. Locals fled their homes as the tremor rattled television sets, kitchen cabinets and tables in Santiago, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. The magnitude 7.2 quake struck 64 miles west north west of the town of Talca at a depth of 6.2 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said. ... Full Story Top

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