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Opportunity lost, Santorum retools for must-win Ohio
Tue,28 Feb 2012 11:51 PM PST
Reuters - GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan (Reuters) - After missing a golden opportunity to dethrone the front-runner, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum has begun to retool his message as he turns his sights to Super Tuesday. Santorum fell to rival Mitt Romney in the latter's home state of Michigan even though it appeared as late as Tuesday afternoon that Santorum could steal a win here and reset the race for the chance to take on President Barack Obama in the November general election. ... Full Story | Top |
U.S. targets Dubai bank over Iran sanctions
Tue,28 Feb 2012 11:47 PM PST
Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - Dubai-based Noor Islamic Bank has been forced by the United States to cut off its banking business with Iran as part of wider U.S. efforts to pressure Tehran over its nuclear program. A government official in the United Arab Emirates and a source at the bank said on Wednesday Noor Islamic Bank had halted dealings with Iran, confirming a report in the Wall Street Journal. Noor Islamic Bank, partly-owned by the emirate of Dubai, appears to be the first financial institution in Dubai to be singled out for doing business with Iran. ... Full Story | Top |
Iran says making nuclear bombs a "great sin"
Tue,28 Feb 2012 11:47 PM PST
Reuters - GENEVA (Reuters) - Iran, facing growing international pressure over its nuclear program, called for more talks with the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Tuesday and condemned production of atomic weapons as a "great sin." Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful but negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have stalled and Western powers have grown increasingly concerned over the possible military dimensions of Tehran's atomic work. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, in a speech to the U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
Clinton says Japan, E.U. working to comply with Iran sanctions
Tue,28 Feb 2012 11:47 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday pledged to aggressively implement new U.S. sanctions on Iran but noted that some allies such as Japan face "unique situations" as they seek to reduce Iranian oil imports. President Barack Obama on December 31 signed into law the harshest in a series of U.S. sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program, targeting foreign financial institutions that do business with Iran's central bank or other blacklisted Iranian financial entities. The new U.S. ...
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UAE says U.S. targeted only one bank over Iran
Tue,28 Feb 2012 11:41 PM PST
Reuters - ABU DHABI (Reuters) - The United States has targeted only one bank in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Noor Islamic Bank, over its business dealings with Iran, a UAE official said on Wednesday. Asked whether the United States had complained about other UAE banks, Khalid al-Ghaith, UAE assistant foreign minister for economic affairs, told Reuters: "They were just talking about Noor Islamic Bank." He added, "We are still working with the U.S. government and continue discussing to protect our bank sector and companies and continue this dialogue. This is what we are doing as a government. ... Full Story | Top |
Iran to accept payment in gold from trading partners
Tue,28 Feb 2012 11:41 PM PST
Reuters - TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran will take payment from its trading partners in gold instead of dollars, the Iranian state news agency IRNA quoted the central bank governor as saying on Tuesday. Iranian financial institutions have been hit by sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union in an effort to force Tehran to halt its nuclear program. Significant difficulties in making dollar payments to Iranian banks have forced Iran's trading partners to look for alternative ways to settle transactions, including direct barter deals. ... Full Story | Top |
Iran: two worlds meet, over tea
Tue,28 Feb 2012 11:41 PM PST
Reuters - TEHRAN (Reuters) - Mina and Mohammad stood on opposite sides of the political barricades when protests against Iran's rulers erupted into mass street violence; she, a student demanding democratic reform, he a member of the hard-line Basij militia that helped crush the greatest challenge ever to the Islamic Republic. Now the two, both 27, are brought together for the first time in a small sitting room in central Tehran. Two years have passed. ... Full Story | Top |
Japan says may cancel Lockheed F-35 if price rises
Tue,28 Feb 2012 11:15 PM PST
Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan may cancel orders for Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jets in the case of a price rise or delivery delay, Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka said on Wednesday, putting Tokyo's choice of next-generation combat aircraft in doubt. Tokyo has warned Washington against increasing the price, but this was the first time Tanaka had raised the possibility of cancelling the order in public. The Pentagon this month confirmed plans to put off orders for 179 F-35s over the next five years to save $15. ... Full Story | Top |
Long, divisive White House fight is sapping Republicans
Tue,28 Feb 2012 11:02 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mitt Romney's narrow win in Michigan is unlikely to ease lingering doubts about his candidacy or head off the possibility of a long and divisive presidential nominating fight that is damaging Republican chances in November's general election. The close result in Michigan at least temporarily returned Romney to his frontrunner status and averted an outbreak of panic among Republicans worried that staunch social conservative Rick Santorum could doom the party in the November election. ...
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U.S. sees "more of the same" from new North Korea leader
Tue,28 Feb 2012 10:48 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New North Korean leader Kim Jung-un looks unlikely to depart from the nuclear brinkmanship, threats to his region and repression of his father and grandfather, the top U.S. military commander for the Asia-Pacific region said on Tuesday. "He's a Kim, and he's surrounded by an uncle and Kim Jong-il's sister and others that I think are guiding his actions," said Admiral Robert Willard, head of U.S. Pacific Command. "So in that sense, we would expect ... more of the same. The strategy has been successful through two generations," he told a U.S. ...
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Kenyan shilling falls on Fin Min comments
Tue,28 Feb 2012 10:46 PM PST
Reuters -  NAIROBI (Reuters) - The Kenyan shilling lost ground against the dollar on Wednesday after the finance minister said the central bank should prevent the local currency from appreciating beyond 82 per greenback, traders said. Acting Finance Minister Robinson Githae told Reuters he wanted a stable exchange rate and not the volatile swings that sent the local currency lurching from one record low to another last year before a sharp rally, brought on by a tightening of monetary policy. ...
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ANC to release final sentencing for suspended Malema
Tue,28 Feb 2012 10:34 PM PST
Reuters -  JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's ruling African National Congress said on Wednesday it would deliver its final verdict on the sentencing of suspended youth league leader Julius Malema later in the day. Malema, a firebrand who unnerved investors with his calls to nationalise mines in Africa's largest economy, lost an appeal against charges of bringing the party into disrepute but was allowed to argue for a more lenient sentence than his initial five-year suspension.
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Suspect told police he killed randomly in Ohio school
Tue,28 Feb 2012 10:17 PM PST
Reuters -  CHARDON, Ohio (Reuters) - A 17-year-old student suspected of a shooting rampage at an Ohio high school that killed three teenagers and wounded two others has confessed to opening fire on students he chose at random, prosecutors said Tuesday. The student, identified by authorities as T.J. Lane, appeared in Geauga County, Ohio Juvenile Court, where he was ordered detained following Monday's shooting at Chardon High School. Lane has confessed to police to taking a knife and a .22-caliber pistol into the high school cafeteria and firing 10 rounds at randomly selected students, prosecutors said. ...
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Tanzania says to open up capital account by 2015
Tue,28 Feb 2012 09:28 PM PST
Reuters - ARUSHA, Tanzania (Reuters) - Tanzania plans to start opening up its capital account this year, its central bank chief said on Tuesday, enabling it to attract more investment initially from other members of the East African Community and then from the rest of the world by 2015. An open capital account is among the prerequisites for the financial market integration of the regional bloc's five members, a step towards a monetary union protocol, expected to be signed by end 2012. ... Full Story | Top |
China tells Arab League it backs humanitarian aid for Syria
Tue,28 Feb 2012 09:26 PM PST
Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - China backs international efforts to send humanitarian aid to Syria, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said, after Western powers proposed a United Nations resolution authorizing humanitarian aid. It was not clear whether Yang's remarks mean China will consider the proposed new U. N. Security Council resolution. China is one of the five permanent members of the Council which have the power to veto such resolutions. ... Full Story | Top |
US, Egypt lurch into risky limbo on NGO case
Tue,28 Feb 2012 09:25 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. hopes for a quick end to its dispute with Egypt over pro-democracy groups have been put on hold, stranding both countries in a dangerous limbo as pressures build on a security partnership that is vital to Washington. The Obama administration had hoped the row over Egypt's raids on U.S.-funded groups and its travel bans on a handful of U.S. citizens would conclude this month with a face-saving deal that would release the Americans and put Washington's ties with Cairo back on track. ...
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Senegal's Wade heads for tough vote run-off
Tue,28 Feb 2012 09:22 PM PST
Reuters -  DAKAR (Reuters) - Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade faces a tough presidential election run-off against his nearest rival after a campaign aide said on Tuesday that partial results ruled out a clear first-round victory. Wade's bid for a third term at the age of 85 has prompted deadly street protests in the usually peaceful West African state, though voting on Sunday was calm and well-organised. Critics have said the constitution bans Wade, who has been in power for the last 12 years, from seeking a third term, a charge he has brushed off. ...
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Banker Rohatyn to guide NY infrastructure bank: Governor
Tue,28 Feb 2012 07:50 PM PST
Reuters -  (Reuters) - Investment banker Felix Rohatyn, who helped rescue New York City from its mid-1970s financial crisis, has agreed to sit on the board of New York State's $25 billion infrastructure bank, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday. Rohatyn is a former U.S. ambassador to France who now serves as a special advisor to the chief executive of Lazard. His decision to help guide the infrastructure bank could help Cuomo get his "New York Works Fund" off the ground. The state's new infrastructure bank aims to tap private capital to build and repair the state's crumbling roads and bridges. ...
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Romney projected winner in Michigan: TV networks
Tue,28 Feb 2012 07:29 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mitt Romney won the Republican presidential primary in Michigan on Tuesday, NBC, CNN and Fox television networks projected, after a tight race with his closest rival, Rick Santorum. With 70 percent of the vote counted, Romney was ahead with 42 percent compared to 37 for Santorum. Romney easily won the day's other primary in Arizona. (Reporting by Patrick Temple-West and Lily Kuo and Deborah Charles) Full Story | Top |
Coach who chased Ohio shooter doesn't feel like a hero
Tue,28 Feb 2012 07:19 PM PST
Reuters - CHARDON, Ohio (Reuters) - "Hey!" yelled Coach Frank Hall when a student gunman opened fire on classmates in the Chardon, Ohio high school cafeteria on Monday. The startled shooter retreated, with the hulking football coach giving chase, in an act of bravery that may have saved lives. No one in Chardon was surprised that the 6-feet, 2-inch, 300 pound Hall, a religious man who has adopted four children, disregarded his own safety to protect the kids. "I hit the ground and heard Mr. Hall yell 'hey' at the shooter. I saw the shooter turn toward Mr. Hall and he ran out. Mr. ... Full Story | Top |
New York comptroller aide charged with fraud
Tue,28 Feb 2012 07:13 PM PST
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - A top campaign aide for Comptroller John Liu, New York City's financial overseer, on Tuesday was charged with fraud for violating contribution limits, dealing another setback to the Democrat's quest to win his party's 2013 mayoral nomination. Liu, the first Asian-American to be elected New York City comptroller, serves as a fiscal watchdog, monitoring the city's finances with audits. He also helps run the city's $110 billion pension fund. ... Full Story | Top |
Republican Snowe walks away from 'partisan' Senate
Tue,28 Feb 2012 07:01 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Olympia Snowe, one of the few remaining Republican moderates in Congress, stunned both parties on Tuesday by announcing she will not seek re-election for a fourth six-year term in November, complaining of partisan gridlock. The Maine senator's decision was all the more surprising because of her strong re-election prospects. It complicates the Republican effort to wrest control of the Senate from President Barack Obama's Democrats in November elections. ...
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Romney leads Santorum with 50 percent vote counted
Tue,28 Feb 2012 06:54 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mitt Romney had a 3 percentage point lead over closest rival Rick Santorum in the Michigan Republican presidential primary with half the votes counted on Tuesday. Romney had 41 percent of the vote and Santorum was at 38 percent, televisions networks reported citing poll results. (Reporting by Deborah Charles and Patrick Temple-West; Editing by Doina Chiacu) Full Story | Top |
Romney and Santorum still close in Michigan primary
Tue,28 Feb 2012 06:18 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum were in a tight race in the Michigan primary on Tuesday. Romney was at 41 percent and Santorum at 38 percent with 25 percent of votes counted, CNN said. (Reporting By Alistair Bell) Full Story | Top |
Could take 5 years to get 6 percent unemployment: Fed's Pinalto
Tue,28 Feb 2012 06:16 PM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - The U.S. economic recovery is "frustratingly slow" and it could take four to five years to ratchet the unemployment rate down to about 6 percent, from more than 8 percent now, a top Federal Reserve official said on Tuesday. The recovery is held back by the housing market and Europe's debt crisis among other headwinds, but monetary policy is now appropriately positioned to eventually achieve this "maximum employment" level, said Cleveland Fed President Sandra Pianalto. ... Full Story | Top |
Obama lays out detention rules for al Qaeda suspects
Tue,28 Feb 2012 06:09 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama issued a policy directive on Tuesday making clear that not all al Qaeda suspects would be held in U.S. military custody, fleshing out exceptions allowed under a sweeping defense bill that sought to have the Pentagon prosecute most suspects. Under the directive, al Qaeda suspects arrested by U.S. law enforcement for waging attacks against American interests would not necessarily be held by the Pentagon under several scenarios, including if foreign governments refuse to hand them over to U.S. military control. ... Full Story | Top |
Australia to probe new Indonesia cattle cruelty video
Tue,28 Feb 2012 06:04 PM PST
Reuters - CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia will investigate new images appearing to show cattle being mistreated at an Indonesian abattoir, and could reimpose an export ban on the slaughterhouse if it broke animal welfare rules, Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig said on Wednesday. Australia suspended live cattle exports to Indonesia for a month in 2011 after a video showing cows being beaten and whipped before slaughter was aired on Australian television. The footage outraged many Australians, while the government response angered farmers who said the move jeopardized Australian jobs. ... Full Story | Top |
Factbox: Arizona Republican presidential primary
Tue,28 Feb 2012 06:01 PM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - The Republican presidential primary turns to Arizona on Tuesday, when voters choose a candidate to challenge Democratic President Barack Obama in the November election. Here are a few facts about the Arizona Republican primary. +Unlike the Michigan primary, the Arizona primary is a winner-takes-all race with 29 delegates up for grabs. However, Arizona's primary is important for the momentum it would give Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, if he won. An upset would badly hurt Romney ahead of Super Tuesday on March 6 when 10 states hold nominating contests. ... Full Story | Top |
Factbox: Michigan Republican presidential primary
Tue,28 Feb 2012 06:01 PM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - The Michigan primary on Tuesday could be a game-changer in the Republican presidential race. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is pitted against former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. Here are a few facts about the Michigan primary. +The Republican Party has a majority in both the state House and Senate. The western, northern and rural parts of the state are more conservative and will likely trend toward Rick Santorum. Mitt Romney could have appeal in the more urban, southern areas of the state near Detroit. ... Full Story | Top |
Some September 11 dead's remains ended in landfill
Tue,28 Feb 2012 05:53 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Partial remains from some people killed in the September 11 attacks in 2001 ended up in a landfill, according to a Pentagon-commissioned report released on Tuesday that revealed previously undisclosed blunders at the U.S. military's main mortuary. The unidentified remains came from two of the three sites of the September 11 attacks: the Pentagon and the Shanksville, Pennsylvania crash site of one of the hijacked airliners. The World Trade Center in New York City, which was leveled in the attacks, was not cited. ...
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Guatemala extradites alleged drug kingpin to U.S.
Tue,28 Feb 2012 05:15 PM PST
Reuters - GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - A Guatemalan court on Tuesday ruled to extradite the country's alleged top drug trafficker to the United States, as the Central American nation stepped up an offensive against organized crime. Juan 'Chamale' Ortiz-Lopez, who was arrested in March 2011 and is currently being detained in Guatemala, is charged in a Florida federal court with trafficking tons of cocaine into the United States. He faces a maximum life sentence if convicted. The Florida indictment argues that Ortiz-Lopez, 42, is Guatemala's most important drug smuggler. U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
Retrial between Oracle and SAP set for June 2012
Tue,28 Feb 2012 05:12 PM PST
Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Oracle Corp and SAP AG are scheduled to kick off a retrial on June 18, 2012, over copyright infringement allegations against a SAP unit, a U.S. judge ordered on Tuesday. A Northern California jury determined in 2010 that Oracle should be paid $1.3 billion over accusations SAP subsidiary TomorrowNow wrongfully downloaded millions of Oracle files. However, U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton found last year that Oracle had proven actual damages of only $272 million. Hamilton said Oracle could accept a $272 million award, or opt for a new trial against SAP. ... Full Story | Top |
U.S. backs Fresenius buy of Liberty with clinic sales
Tue,28 Feb 2012 05:11 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - German healthcare conglomerate Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co has won U.S. antitrust approval to buy Liberty Dialysis Holdings Inc, provided it sells 60 dialysis clinics, the Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday. Fresenius has more than 1,800 outpatient dialysis clinics in the United States that serve some 130,000 patients while Liberty has 260 dialysis centers that serve some 19,000 patients, the FTC said. The FTC said the outpatient dialysis clinics to be sold were in 43 U.S. markets. ... Full Story | Top |
U.S. docking Lockheed for F-35 cost-tracking flaws
Tue,28 Feb 2012 04:41 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Tuesday told Lockheed Martin Corp, the No. 1 U.S. defense contractor, that it would withhold about $1 million a month in billings on the latest F-35 fighter contract until the company fixes a complex system that tracks the program's cost. In a letter dated February 28, the Pentagon's Defense Contract Management Agency told Lockheed it was withholding just 2 percent of billings, instead of the 5 percent possible, because Lockheed had submitted a plan that was "reasonably expected to correct the remaining deficiencies" on the system. ... Full Story | Top |
Cancer seen killing 1.3 million EU citizens in 2012
Tue,28 Feb 2012 04:30 PM PST
Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Almost 1.3 million people will die of cancer in the European Union this year, but death rates from the disease are on a steady decline, according to new research released on Wednesday. A study of all types of cancer across the 27-country EU bloc found that more men than women are likely to die from the disease, and that "substantial reductions" in the number of deaths from breast cancer would lower death rates for women. Despite this, breast cancer remains the leading cause of female cancer deaths in the bloc. ... Full Story | Top |
Argentina urges fewer British imports in Falklands row
Tue,28 Feb 2012 04:17 PM PST
Reuters - BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's industry minister urged company executives on Tuesday to stop importing British goods, a ministry source said, further straining ties as the 30th anniversary of the Falklands war approaches. The two sides fought a 10-week war in 1982 after Argentina invaded the South Atlantic archipelago. London has refused to start talks demanded by Buenos Aires on the islands' sovereignty unless the 3,000 Falklands residents call for them, which they show no signs of doing. ... Full Story | Top |
U.S. drafts outline of new U.N. Syria resolution
Tue,28 Feb 2012 04:08 PM PST
Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States has drafted an outline for a new U.N. Security Council resolution demanding access for humanitarian aid workers in besieged Syrian towns and an end to the violence there, Western envoys said on Tuesday. The latest push for action on Syria by the 15-nation council comes after Russia and China twice vetoed resolutions that would have condemned Damascus' 11-month crackdown on pro-democracy protests and demanded an end to the violence, saying Western and Arab nations were seeking Libya-style "regime change" in Syria. ... Full Story | Top |
Top Republican raises heat on Obama in Keystone letter
Tue,28 Feb 2012 04:00 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans turned up the heat on President Barack Obama's energy policies on Tuesday, hammering an election-year issue that they view as his weak spot amid rising gasoline prices. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress, wrote to Obama to urge him to approve a controversial oil pipeline and fulfill a promise of an "all of the above" approach to ease dependence on foreign oil. ...
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Santorum channels Limbaugh with robocall strategy
Tue,28 Feb 2012 03:39 PM PST
Reuters -  DETROIT (Reuters) - With his presidential hopes riding on a win in Michigan's pivotal Republican primary on Tuesday, Rick Santorum is taking a page from the playbook of influential conservative talkshow host Rush Limbaugh. In an unusual move that has rival Mitt Romney crying foul, Santorum's campaign has been bombarding Democrats and independents in the state with automated "robocalls," urging them to vote for the Republican in Tuesday's closely fought contest, which is open to supporters of both parties. ...
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Irish vote, German court add euro zone uncertainty
Tue,28 Feb 2012 03:35 PM PST
Reuters -  DUBLIN/KARLSRUHE, Germany (Reuters) - A planned referendum in Ireland and a German court ruling cast new uncertainty on Tuesday over efforts to overcome the euro zone's debt crisis, just when a flood of central bank money appeared to be calming financial markets. Ireland's prickly electorate, which has twice voted "No" to European Union treaties before reversing itself, will get another chance to keep Europe on tenterhooks with a referendum on a fiscal compact on budget discipline agreed last month. ...
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