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Tuesday, February 28, 2012 12:00 AM PST

Today's Reuters News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Yahoo threatens Facebook as patent war looms In Michigan, Mitt Romney faces day of reckoning Classes canceled in Ohio community after school shooting S&P downgrades Greece to selective default U.S. rejects strategy shift after Afghan protests, shooting Pending home sales near 2-year high Syria approves new constitution amid bloodshed TransCanada chops up Keystone XL to push it ahead FBI sees more hedge fund trading probe informants Merkel scrapes win on Greek bailout, rebels grow Attempt to kill Russia's Putin foiled: security agencies Gunman kills one, injures four in Ohio school shooting Romney, Santorum in late pitches for Michigan votes G20 to Europe: Show us the money S&P cuts Greek sovereign debt to selective default Buffett: My successor is in the dark too U.S. cites "heightened threat"; 9 killed in Afghan airport bomb BP oil spill trial delayed for settlement talks Police, Murdoch aides stalled hacking probes, inquiry told Tunisia leader, Bill Clinton among Nobel nominees WikiLeaks targets global risk company Stratfor Olympus risks foreign backlash with new board line-up On the ropes, Apple's China nemesis still dreams Iraq militia hands over last missing U.S. soldier's remains "The Artist" paints golden picture at Oscars Colombia's FARC to free captives, stop kidnapping for ransom Colombia's FARC to free captives, stop kidnapping for ransom Geithner says Europe has lowered risks of "catastrophe" Anti-Putin protesters form human chain in Moscow Seven U.S. soldiers wounded after Afghan NATO base attacked Syria referendum goes ahead amid military onslaught G20 to Europe: show us the money Anti-Putin protesters form human chain in Moscow Santorum win in Michigan could be chaos for GOP BP oil spill trial delayed for settlement talks Analysis: Oil price rise raises specter of global recession Arizona governor endorses Romney for president South Africa's Mandela released from hospital Georgia on his mind, Gingrich fights in own backyard Romney defends wealth, Santorum touts conservatism Yahoo threatens Facebook as patent war looms Mon,27 Feb 2012 09:24 PM PST Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo has demanded licensing fees from Facebook for use of its technology, the companies said on Monday, potentially engulfing social media in the patent battles and lawsuits raging across much of the tech sector. Yahoo has asserted claims on patents that include the technical mechanisms in the Facebook's ads, privacy controls, news feed and messaging service, according to a source briefed on the matter. ... Full Story Top In Michigan, Mitt Romney faces day of reckoning Mon,27 Feb 2012 10:25 PM PST Reuters - SOUTHFIELD, Michigan (Reuters) - Mitt Romney faces a day of reckoning on Tuesday when Michigan votes to either grant him a big victory in the Republican presidential nomination battle or hand him a humiliating defeat. Romney was born and raised in Michigan and his father was a popular governor, but conservatives are threatening to deliver the state to Rick Santorum, who is running neck-and-neck with Romney in the polls in the final hours before voting begins. Most Michigan polls close at 8 p.m. EST (midnight GMT). ... Full Story Top Classes canceled in Ohio community after school shooting Mon,27 Feb 2012 09:28 PM PST Reuters - CHARDON, Ohio (Reuters) - Classes will be canceled again on Tuesday in an Ohio community outside Cleveland, a day after a gunman opened fire in the cafeteria of a high school, killing one student and wounding four others. A 16-year-old student identified as Daniel Parmertor died as a result of the shooting, the worst at a U.S. high school in 11 months and in Ohio since late 2007, according to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. ... Full Story Top S&P downgrades Greece to selective default Mon,27 Feb 2012 03:23 PM PST Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's on Monday cut Greece's long-term ratings to 'selective default', the second ratings agency to proceed with a widely expected downgrade after the country announced a bond swap plan to lighten its debt burden. S&P said that once the debt exchange is concluded, it would likely raise Greece's sovereign credit rating to the speculative 'CCC' category. "We lowered our sovereign credit ratings on Greece to 'SD' following the Greek government's retroactive insertion of collective action clauses (CACs)," the U.S. ratings agency said. ... Full Story Top U.S. rejects strategy shift after Afghan protests, shooting Mon,27 Feb 2012 03:58 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration will not swerve from plans to move into an advisory role in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said on Monday, despite the killing of U.S. advisers over the weekend that underscored the risks foreign soldiers will face as they rush to train Afghan forces. "We're not going to let the events of the past week, which are regrettable and unfortunate and tragic, influence the long horizon view that we're taking," Defense Department spokesman George Little told reporters at the Pentagon. ... Full Story Top Pending home sales near 2-year high Mon,27 Feb 2012 02:50 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Contracts to purchase previously owned U.S. homes neared a two-year high in January, an industry group said on Monday, further evidence the housing market was slowly turning the corner. The National Association of Realtors said its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in January, increased 2 percent to 97.0 - the highest reading since April 2010. New contracts generally lead sales by a month or two. Housing data ranging from home building to resale's have been relatively upbeat, buttressing other signs of underlying economic strength that should help the ... Full Story Top Syria approves new constitution amid bloodshed Mon,27 Feb 2012 03:25 PM PST Reuters - AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian artillery pounded rebel-held areas of Homs as President Bashar al-Assad's government announced that voters had overwhelmingly approved a new constitution in a referendum derided as a sham by his critics at home and abroad. The outside world has proved powerless to halt the killing in Syria, where repression of initially peaceful protests has spawned an armed insurrection by army deserters and others. ... Full Story Top TransCanada chops up Keystone XL to push it ahead Mon,27 Feb 2012 02:19 PM PST Reuters - CALGARY/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - TransCanada Corp said on Monday it will build the southern leg of its $7 billion Keystone XL oil pipeline first, skirting a full-blown U.S. review and giving President Barack Obama ammunition to hit back at Republicans who have blasted his energy policy. Building the portion of the contentious pipeline that would run to Texas refineries from the Cushing, Oklahoma, storage hub before the northern section would help remove a pinch-point that has led to deep price discounts for U.S. and Canadian crude and forced refiners to rely more heavily on imports. ... Full Story Top FBI sees more hedge fund trading probe informants Mon,27 Feb 2012 02:51 PM PST Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - The FBI says it has enough informants lined up to keep its investigations of suspected illegal insider trading at hedge funds going for at least five more years. In a briefing on Monday with reporters at the New York office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation just blocks away from Wall Street, agents who manage squads of investigators likened the probes to penetrating a secret society. ... Full Story Top Merkel scrapes win on Greek bailout, rebels grow Mon,27 Feb 2012 03:41 PM PST Reuters - BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel scraped through a parliamentary vote endorsing a second bailout for Greece on Monday but faced a growing backbench revolt against pouring in more money in support of the euro zone. The comfortable 496-90 victory, with five abstentions, was inflated by centre-left opposition support, but only 304 of Merkel's 330 centre-right coalition lawmakers backed the motion. ... Full Story Top Attempt to kill Russia's Putin foiled: security agencies Mon,27 Feb 2012 11:30 AM PST Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Security services in Russia and Ukraine said on Monday they had foiled a plot to kill Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, but his opponents ridiculed the announcement as a campaign stunt six days before he runs in Russia's presidential election. Russia's pro-government Channel One television said two men arrested belonged to a group seeking an Islamist state in Russia's North Caucasus. A computer seized contained numerous video files showing Putin's motorcade moving about Moscow, said the report. ... Full Story Top Gunman kills one, injures four in Ohio school shooting Mon,27 Feb 2012 02:48 PM PST Reuters - CHARDON, Ohio (Reuters) - A student gunman opened fire with a handgun in the cafeteria of a high school near Cleveland on Monday morning, fatally wounding one boy and injuring three other boys and one girl before he was chased from the building by a teacher and was caught, police said. The injured students were rushed to area hospitals where a boy identified as Daniel Parmertor, 16, died at MetroHealth System in Cleveland. Parmertor, a high school junior, went to a nearby vocational school where he studied computer science, and was waiting in the cafeteria for a bus when the gunman opened ... Full Story Top Romney, Santorum in late pitches for Michigan votes Mon,27 Feb 2012 03:28 PM PST Reuters - In a tight race to win the Michigan primary, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney strongly defended his wealth on Sunday and challenged voters to support someone else if they did not like his success. Questions about Romney's high earnings and taxes have dogged him throughout the primary elections and came up again in the run-up to Tuesday's vote in Michigan, where main rival Rick Santorum has presented himself as a blue-collar Republican. ... Full Story Top G20 to Europe: Show us the money Mon,27 Feb 2012 04:40 AM PST Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Leading economies told Europe it must put up extra money to fight its debt crisis if it wants more help from the rest of the world, piling pressure on Germany to drop its opposition to a bigger European bailout fund. Euro zone countries pledged on Sunday, at a meeting of finance leaders from the Group of 20 economic powers, to reassess next month the strength of their bailout fund. ... Full Story Top S&P cuts Greek sovereign debt to selective default Mon,27 Feb 2012 01:48 PM PST Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's on Monday cut Greece's credit rating to SD, or selective default, after the Greek government amended the original rules governing some of its sovereign debt to bind all private bondholders to a bond swap necessary to complete a 130-billion-euro rescue package. (Reporting By Daniel Bases and Walter Brandimarte; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) Full Story Top Buffett: My successor is in the dark too Mon,27 Feb 2012 09:47 AM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - Warren Buffett resisted pressure on Monday to identify his successor as chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway, saying the person who has been chosen does not even know it himself. In his annual investor letter on Saturday, Buffett said Berkshire's board had identified someone who will replace him as CEO when the 81-year-old investor eventually leaves the post. But he did not identify that person in the letter, and in a CNBC interview on Monday, he rejected suggestions that he should. ... Full Story Top U.S. cites "heightened threat"; 9 killed in Afghan airport bomb Mon,27 Feb 2012 01:09 PM PST Reuters - Seven U.S. military trainers were wounded on Sunday when a grenade was thrown at their base in northern Afghanistan, police said, underscoring the depth of anti-Western fury over the inadvertent burning of copies of the Koran at a NATO base. Despite an apology from U.S. President Barack Obama, riots raged across the country for a sixth day against the desecration of the Muslim holy book last week at the biggest NATO base in Afghanistan. Some protesters hoisted the white Taliban flag. With few signs of the crisis abating, the U.S. ... Full Story Top BP oil spill trial delayed for settlement talks Mon,27 Feb 2012 11:45 AM PST Reuters - LONDON/NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - The trial to decide who should pay for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill has been delayed by a week, to allow BP Plc to try to cut a deal with tens of thousands of businesses and individuals affected by the disaster. Less than 24 hours before the case was set to start in a New Orleans federal court, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier pushed back the date to March 5 from February 27. ... Full Story Top Police, Murdoch aides stalled hacking probes, inquiry told Mon,27 Feb 2012 12:27 PM PST Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - British police and officials from Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World newspaper stalled early attempts to investigate allegations of phone hacking by its journalists, a British judicial inquiry was told on Monday. Investigators for London's Metropolitan Police Service had evidence in 2006 that "hundreds" of victims had been targeted for possible phone hacking by the News of the World, a former police commander said. But officers had other priorities and insufficient resources to pursue the matter as thoroughly as they could have, a lawyer for the inquiry said. ... Full Story Top Tunisia leader, Bill Clinton among Nobel nominees Mon,27 Feb 2012 06:26 AM PST Reuters - OSLO (Reuters) - Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, alleged WikiLeaks whistleblower Bradley Manning, and former U.S. President Bill Clinton may be among the hundreds of nominees for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize, rights activists say. The list of nominees, which is now officially closed for this year, is secret and Nobel officials would not comment on its contents. But experts have begun speculating about who is on the list and some people eligible to nominate candidates have publicized their suggestions. The committee added the final names for consideration on Friday. ... Full Story Top WikiLeaks targets global risk company Stratfor Mon,27 Feb 2012 02:02 PM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - The anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks began publishing on Monday more than 5 million emails from a U.S.-based global security analysis company that has been likened to a shadow CIA. The emails, snatched by hackers, could unmask sensitive sources and throw light on the murky world of intelligence-gathering by the company known as Stratfor, which counts Fortune 500 corporations among its subscribers. Stratfor in a statement shortly after midnight EST (0500 GMT) said the release of its stolen emails was an attempt to silence and intimidate it. ... Full Story Top Olympus risks foreign backlash with new board line-up Mon,27 Feb 2012 04:25 AM PST Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Olympus Corp proposed a new board of directors on Monday in an effort to recover from a $1.7 billion accounting fraud, but the line-up could face a hostile reception from foreign investors when it goes to a shareholder vote. The maker of cameras and medical equipment said it had nominated an insider, executive officer Hiroyuki Sasa, to become president and former banker Yasuyuki Kimoto as chairman, subject to approval at its April 20 shareholders' meeting. ... Full Story Top On the ropes, Apple's China nemesis still dreams Mon,27 Feb 2012 02:39 AM PST Reuters - (Reuters) - Yang Long-san, Apple's nemesis in a battle over the iPad trademark in China, once strutted the expo halls with dreams of market dominance. His company, Proview, may now be in ruins and his most valuable asset a disputed trademark, but those dreams remain intact. "My biggest wish is to resolve all these frustrating problems and put them behind me," Yang said in a recent telephone interview. "If we can resolve all the problems we have now and I have a chance to make a comeback, I'd still want to overtake my old competitors. ... Full Story Top Iraq militia hands over last missing U.S. soldier's remains Mon,27 Feb 2012 01:19 PM PST Reuters - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A Shi'ite militia has handed over the body of the last U.S. soldier missing in Iraq, closing a final chapter of the war two months after U.S. troops left and more than five years after the soldier vanished while secretly visiting his wife in Baghdad. A source in Shi'ite militia Asaib al-Haq said the group had acted as an "intermediary" in handing the body of American soldier Ahmed al-Taie to the Iraqi government. The source denied the group was behind his abduction and killing. ... Full Story Top "The Artist" paints golden picture at Oscars Mon,27 Feb 2012 08:55 AM PST Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood showed some love for its history at the Oscars on Sunday, giving its best film award and four others to silent movie "The Artist" in a ceremony that recalled why cinema is special to so many people. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also gave Oscars to Meryl Streep playing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady," marking Streep's third Academy Award in 17 nominations, and veteran Christopher Plummer made history by becoming the oldest winner ever at age 82 with his role as an elderly gay man in "Beginners. ... Full Story Top Colombia's FARC to free captives, stop kidnapping for ransom Mon,27 Feb 2012 12:15 AM PST Reuters - BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's feared FARC rebel group said it would abandon its decades-long policy of kidnapping for ransom and free all military and police hostages it holds in jungle camps, another sign the drug-funded leftist insurgents may want a move toward peace. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the biggest and oldest armed group in Latin America, holds six police officials and four members of the military as well as hundreds of civilians it seized as a means of extortion to fund its battle against the government. ... Full Story Top Colombia's FARC to free captives, stop kidnapping for ransom Sun,26 Feb 2012 02:42 PM PST Reuters - BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's feared FARC rebel group said it would abandon its decades-long policy of kidnapping for ransom and free all military and police hostages it holds in jungle camps, another sign the drug-funded leftist insurgents may want a move toward peace. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the biggest and oldest armed group in Latin America, holds six police officials and four members of the military as well as hundreds of civilians it seized as a means of extortion to fund its battle against the government. ... Full Story Top Geithner says Europe has lowered risks of "catastrophe" Sun,26 Feb 2012 04:14 PM PST Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Sunday that Europe's actions so far to deal with its debt crisis have averted potential financial catastrophe but said it still must put up a sturdier firewall against contagion. "A durable solution requires both a sustained period of economic reform and a substantial financial firewall to support those reforms," he told a press conference at the conclusion of a Group of 20 finance ministers' and central bankers' meeting. ... Full Story Top Anti-Putin protesters form human chain in Moscow Sun,26 Feb 2012 05:11 PM PST Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Thousands of Russians joined hands to form a human chain around Moscow city centre on Sunday in protest against Vladimir Putin's likely return as president in an election next week. The protesters stood side by side around the wide 16-km (10-mile) Moscow Garden Ring Road in gently falling snow, many of them wearing the white ribbons that symbolize the biggest opposition protests since Putin rose to power 12 years ago. The mood was festive as protesters, some chanting "Russia without Putin," waved at cars which hooted back in support. ... Full Story Top Seven U.S. soldiers wounded after Afghan NATO base attacked Sun,26 Feb 2012 02:53 PM PST Reuters - KUNDUZ/KABUL, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Seven U.S. military trainers were wounded on Sunday when a grenade was thrown at their base in northern Afghanistan, police said, as anti-Western fury deepened over the burning of the Koran at a NATO base. Despite an apology from U.S. President Barack Obama, riots raged across the country for a sixth day on Sunday against the desecration of the Muslim holy book at a NATO air base at Bagram. Some protesters hoisted the white Taliban flag. The Afghan Interior Ministry identified one of its employees as a suspect in the fatal shooting of two U.S. ... Full Story Top Syria referendum goes ahead amid military onslaught Sun,26 Feb 2012 01:33 PM PST Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - At least 59 Syrian civilians and soldiers were killed on Sunday in bloodshed that coincided with a vote on a new constitution that could keep President Bashar al-Assad in power until 2028. Assad says the referendum shows his commitment to democratic reform while Western powers and Syrians involved in an 11-month-old revolt against his rule have described it as a farce. ... Full Story Top G20 to Europe: show us the money Sun,26 Feb 2012 01:40 PM PST Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Leading economies told Europe it must put up extra money to fight its debt crisis if it wants more help from the rest of the world, piling pressure on Germany to drop its opposition to a bigger European bailout. Euro zone countries pledged on Sunday at a Group of 20 meetings of finance leaders to reassess the strength of their bailout fund in March, which could clear the way for other G20 countries to contribute more funds to the International Monetary Fund. ... Full Story Top Anti-Putin protesters form human chain in Moscow Sun,26 Feb 2012 07:22 AM PST Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Thousands of Russians joined hands to form a human chain around Moscow city centre on Sunday in protest against Vladimir Putin's likely return as president in an election next week. The protesters stood side by side around the wide 16-km (10-mile) Moscow Garden Ring Road in gently falling snow, many of them wearing the white ribbons that symbolize the biggest opposition protests since Putin rose to power 12 years ago. The mood was festive as protesters, some chanting "Russia without Putin," waved at cars which hooted back in support. ... Full Story Top Santorum win in Michigan could be chaos for GOP Sun,26 Feb 2012 03:48 PM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican presidential race faces a potential turning point on Tuesday in contests in Arizona and Michigan, where upstart Rick Santorum threatens to plunge an already unpredictable nominating battle into chaos. Mitt Romney, the former front-runner and presumed nominee, and Santorum are in a close race in Michigan, the state where Romney was raised and his father was an auto executive and popular governor. ... Full Story Top BP oil spill trial delayed for settlement talks Sun,26 Feb 2012 03:11 PM PST Reuters - LONDON/NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - BP Plc has delayed by one week the start of a massive trial to decide who should pay for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, to allow more time to cut a deal with tens of thousands of businesses and individuals affected by the disaster. In a statement on Sunday, BP said the start date for the trial in New Orleans federal court has been pushed back to March 5 from February 27. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Oil price rise raises specter of global recession Sun,26 Feb 2012 09:39 AM PST Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - A jump in energy prices is jamming the slow-turning cogs of an economic recovery in the West, but that may be nothing compared to the economic shock an Israeli attack on Iran would cause. Oil rose to a 10-month high above $125 a barrel Friday, prompting responses from policymakers around the world including U.S. President Barack Obama, watching U.S. gasoline prices follow crude to push toward $4 a gallon in an election year. ... Full Story Top Arizona governor endorses Romney for president Sun,26 Feb 2012 08:48 AM PST Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, who had a finger-pointing confrontation with President Barack Obama last month, on Sunday endorsed Mitt Romney's bid to become the Republican nominee to challenge Obama in the November 6 U.S. election. "He has that pro-business background and he has that political history that I think ... would serve America the best," Brewer said of Romney, who squares off with rival Rick Santorum in Republican presidential primaries on Tuesday in Arizona and Michigan. ... Full Story Top South Africa's Mandela released from hospital Sun,26 Feb 2012 05:18 AM PST Reuters - JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Former South African President Nelson Mandela was discharged from hospital on Sunday after a keyhole abdominal examination showed there was nothing seriously wrong with the 93-year-old anti-apartheid leader, the government said. "The doctors have decided to send him home as the diagnostic procedure he underwent did not indicate anything seriously wrong with him," President Jacob Zuma's office said in a statement. ... Full Story Top Georgia on his mind, Gingrich fights in own backyard Sat,25 Feb 2012 03:43 PM PST Reuters - ATLANTA (Reuters) - Only a month ago, Newt Gingrich was atop the Republican presidential race. Now he is in a fight for a win even in his home state of Georgia as his campaign stakes its future on the Super Tuesday primaries. Two polls out of three in recent days show Gingrich running a close race in the state with either Mitt Romney or Rick Santorum, who is making inroads with the large number of evangelical Republicans in Georgia. But he will take hope that one of those polls gave him a healthy lead of 13 percentage points over Santorum and 19 over Romney. ... Full Story Top Romney defends wealth, Santorum touts conservatism Sun,26 Feb 2012 02:26 PM PST Reuters - In a tight race to win the Michigan primary, U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney strongly defended his wealth on Sunday and challenged voters to support someone else if they did not like his success. Romney is worth an estimated $250 million and has been accused of being out of touch with most Americans' economic struggles. The issue could be crucial in Tuesday's vote in Michigan, the state where Romney grew up but faces a tough fight after opposing President Barack Obama's bailout of the U.S. auto industry. ... Full Story Top

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