AP Top News Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:02:46 GMT
Lawmakers struggle to finish health overhaul bill (AP) ...
AP - Pushing toward a history-making vote, Democrats struggled to eliminate lingering complications standing in the way of House action this weekend on President Barack Obama's landmark health care overhaul.
Clinton in Moscow for Mideast, nuclear arms talks (AP) ...
AP - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday opened two days of talks with Russian leaders on nuclear arms control and other security issues, and separately with top international diplomats on the outlook for bringing Israel and the Palestinians back to peace talks.
AP IMPACT: Gov't bank auditors got big bonuses (AP) ...
AP - Banks weren't the only ones giving big bonuses in the boom years before the worst financial crisis in generations. The government also was handing out millions of dollars to bank regulators, rewarding "superior" work even as an avalanche of risky mortgages helped create the meltdown.
'Jihad Jane' due in federal court in Philadelphia (AP) ...
AP - Whether she was seeking love or vengeance, or just an escape from her dreary, small-town existence, Colleen LaRose searched the Internet and found Muslim extremists eager to engage the unhappy American.
Obama back to campaign-style politics, a strength (AP) ...
AP - After a rousing campaign rally for New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine last summer, President Barack Obama flashed a broad smile to an aide as he boarded his helicopter back to the White House.
Report fails to shed light on SoCal runaway Prius (AP) ...
AP - A California Highway Patrol officer responding to a report of a runway Toyota Prius last week arrived to find a Border Patrol agent near the driver with emergency lights on.
Some Fargo residents refuse to move despite floods (AP) ...
AP - Mac Butler believes he'll beat the bloated Red River and save his home again this year. But a canoe and kayak are tied up outside his house just in case he's wrong.
Calif. considers smoking ban at all state parks (AP) ...
AP - California lawmakers on Thursday will consider what is believed to be the nation's most far-reaching smoking ban in state parks as a way to get unsightly cigarette butts off the beach, eliminate second-hand smoke and reduce the threat of wildfires.
A symbol of the slave trade joins US and Cuba (AP) ...
AP - Days from now, a stately black schooner will sail through a narrow channel into Havana's protected harbor, its two masts bearing the rarest of sights — the U.S. Stars and Stripes, with the Cuban flag fluttering nearby.
Rangers manager tested positive for coke (AP) ...
AP - Before he could end a long day unlike any in his professional career, Ron Washington had to prepare for a game.
U.S. tells China yuan issue is of "real concern" (Reuters) ...
Reuters - The United States kept up pressure on China on Thursday to let the yuan climb as Beijing disclosed it was sounding out exporters on whether they could cope with a stronger exchange rate.
Greek PM warns over effect of high borrowing costs (Reuters) ... Reuters - Greece's prime minister warned on Thursday that Athens would not be able to make planned deficit cuts unless it can borrow money more cheaply and said he would prefer not to have to turn to the IMF for help.
Obama picks up new support for health bill (Reuters) ...
Reuters - President Barack Obama picked up support for healthcare reform on Wednesday from a prominent liberal and a group of Catholic nuns, who broke with bishops on the issue of abortion and urged passage of the overhaul.
First of several job-creation bills clears Congress (Reuters) ... Reuters - A package of tax breaks and highway spending cleared Congress on Wednesday, the first of what Democrats hope will be several efforts to bring down the 9.7 percent unemployment rate.
California police report supports Prius driver (Reuters) ... Reuters - A California Highway Patrol report released on Wednesday in a sensational "runaway" Toyota Prius incident appears to support the version of events given by the driver, which the automaker has called into question.
Japan corporate mood up; talk of government stimulus weighs (Reuters) ...
Reuters - Japanese companies have become far less gloomy about economic conditions than three months ago, a Reuters corporate survey showed, pointing to a big improvement in the Bank of Japan's closely watched tankan survey next month.
Obama says Israel home plans not helpful for peace (Reuters) ...
Reuters - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday Israeli plans to build more homes near East Jerusalem were not helpful for the Middle East peace process, but he said the issue had not led to a crisis with one of the United States' closest allies.
Toyota tells regulators weighing fix to 1.2 million Corollas (Reuters) ... Reuters - Toyota Motor Corp has told U.S. safety regulators that it is considering how to fix nearly 1.2 million Corolla and Matrix models at risk of stalling out because of flaws in an electronic system.
Clinton in Russia to hasten disarmament deal (AFP) ...
AFP - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Russia Thursday in a bid to accelerate progress towards a new accord between the Cold War foes to drastically reduce their nuclear arsenals.
Obama says no crisis in US-Israeli relations (AFP) ...
AFP - President Barack Obama denied a crisis was rocking US-Israeli relations as his top diplomatic aide arrived Thursday in Moscow for a meeting of the Middle East quartet.
AP US News Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:56:51 GMT
'Jihad Jane' due in federal court in Philadelphia (AP) ...
AP - Whether she was seeking love or vengeance, or just an escape from her dreary, small-town existence, Colleen LaRose searched the Internet and found Muslim extremists eager to engage the unhappy American.
Some Fargo residents refuse to move despite floods (AP) ...
AP - Mac Butler believes he'll beat the bloated Red River and save his home again this year. But a canoe and kayak are tied up outside his house just in case he's wrong.
Calif. considers smoking ban at all state parks (AP) ...
AP - California lawmakers on Thursday will consider what is believed to be the nation's most far-reaching smoking ban in state parks as a way to get unsightly cigarette butts off the beach, eliminate second-hand smoke and reduce the threat of wildfires.
Report fails to shed light on SoCal runaway Prius (AP) ...
AP - A California Highway Patrol officer responding to a report of a runway Toyota Prius last week arrived to find a Border Patrol agent near the driver with emergency lights on.
RI police officer to stand trial on rape charge (AP) ... AP - A Providence police officer accused of raping a woman in a deserted police substation and then showing up to take a report after she called 911 heads to trial this week at an already difficult time for the department.
Chicago terror suspected expected to plead guilty (AP) ...
AP - A Chicago man accused of helping scout out the Indian city of Mumbai before the 2008 terrorist attack that left 166 people dead is expected to plead guilty Thursday to federal charges.
Idaho first to sign law against health care reform (AP) ...
AP - Idaho is leading the charge in a states-rights push to defeat a proposal in Congress that would require people to buy health insurance, a key piece of reforms being pushed by President Barack Obama.
Online postings warn of another Va. Tech attack (AP) ... AP - Virginia Tech is urging calm as e-mails and Internet postings originating in Italy threaten another attack on campus.
Research monkey deaths prompt calls for crackdown (AP) ...
AP - Workers at a Nevada research lab were checking on a primate room when they came across a ghastly sight: Thirty dead monkeys were essentially cooked alive after someone left the heater on. Two others were near death and had to be euthanized.
Search for Washington state mom and son resumes (AP) ... AP - Authorities in Washington state on Wednesday resumed their search for a woman who appears to have abandoned a van on a remote Puget Sound beach over the weekend and disappeared with her 8-year-old son.
More multigenerational families living together (AP) ... AP - Goodnight, John-Boy: Driven partly by job losses, more multigenerational families are choosing to live together as "boomerang kids" flock home and people help care for grandchildren or aging parents.
Calif. rape suspect lived by school for 16 months (AP) ... AP - A convicted sex offender charged with murdering a California teenager lived near a preschool for at least 16 months before parole agents forced him to move, according to state corrections records released Wednesday.
More than 100 complaints lodged over fixed Toyotas (AP) ...
AP - Complaints of sudden acceleration in Toyotas repaired under recalls have nearly doubled in the past two weeks, according to an Associated Press analysis of government data.
Nation, world go green for St. Patrick's Day (AP) ...
AP - All the world from the Sydney Opera House to the Empire State Building turned Irish, or at least Irish for the day, as revelers marked St. Patrick's Day with bagpipes, dancing, emerald lights and green body paint in a flurry of celebration.
Police say man fatally shoots wife at Wash. church (AP) ... AP - Police in Washington state say a man who accompanied his wife to a church for a counseling session shot the woman several times at the church, killing her.
Sheriff: Man sold his wife for sex on Craigslist (AP) ... AP - A woman feared she'd never see her young child again unless she complied with her husband's scheme to sell her sexual services on Craigslist, authorities said Wednesday.
Texas polygamist guilty of child sexual assault (AP) ... AP - Prosecutors say a member of a polygamist group whose sprawling West Texas ranch was raided in 2008 has been found guilty of sexual assault of a child.
Pilot trapped under plane's wreckage for 8 hours (AP) ... AP - Authorities rescued an injured pilot who was trapped for about eight hours in the wreckage of an experimental plane that crashed on an Indian reservation south of Phoenix.
Group decries textbooks on Islam as inflammatory (AP) ...
AP - A series of children's textbooks on Islam contains misleading and inflammatory rhetoric about the religion, inaccurately portraying its followers as inherently violent and deserving of suspicion, according to a Muslim civil liberties group.
Influential Big Star member Alex Chilton dies (AP) ... AP - Singer and guitarist Alex Chilton, who topped the charts as a teen and later became a cult hero with Big Star, died Wednesday. He was 59.
AP Business News Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:01:50 GMT
Greek PM: need firmer rescue plan from eurozone (AP) ...
AP - Greece's Prime Minister George Papandreou says his country needs a firmer eurozone bailout plan to lift market pressure on his government and lower its borrowing rates.
AP IMPACT: Gov't bank auditors got big bonuses (AP) ...
AP - Banks weren't the only ones giving big bonuses in the boom years before the worst financial crisis in generations. The government also was handing out millions of dollars to bank regulators, rewarding "superior" work even as an avalanche of risky mortgages helped create the meltdown.
World stock markets mostly lower as Greece weighs (AP) ...
AP - World stock markets fell Thursday and the euro weakened after Greece said it might seek international assistance to resolve its debt crisis.
US ambassador urges China cooperation on Iran (AP) ...
AP - Beijing needs to take seriously American concerns about the value of the Chinese currency, but bilateral disputes should not impede cooperation on global issues such as climate change and Iran's nuclear program, the U.S. ambassador to Beijing said Thursday.
IBM denies tax evasion in Japan (AFP) ...
AFP - IBM Japan on Thursday denied it had evaded taxes after news reports said authorities were probing whether it had failed to declare more than 4.4 billion dollars in income.
Strikes in Greece over proposed tax law overhaul (AP) ...
AP - Greek taxi drivers and many gas station owners are striking against a proposed overhaul of tax laws under the government's efforts to overcome its debt crisis.
TSX adds to gains as miners, oils rise (Reuters) ... Reuters - Toronto's main stock index rose to another 17-month high on Wednesday morning, boosted by firmness in commodity prices as the U.S. Federal Reserve's renewed pledge to keep interest rates low for an extended period drew investors to riskier assets.
US Senate sends jobs bill to Obama (AFP) ...
AFP - Amid deep election-year worries about high unemployment, the US Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to send President Barack Obama a 17.6-billion-dollar package aimed at creating jobs.
China Mobile beats estimates on strong data services (Reuters) ...
Reuters - China Mobile (0941.HK) is starting to benefit from its years of investment in non-voice services, helping the world's largest mobile carrier by subscribers to report an unexpected rise in revenue per user.
Italy sees self as resilient to economic collapse (AP) ...
AP - As Greece wins at least temporary respite from its debt troubles, will Italy be the next to face a crisis?
Parsing the Fed's Statement: Experts Weigh In (The Motley Fool) ... The Motley Fool - Surprise, surprise. As expected, the Federal Reserve on Tuesday held short-term interest rates unchanged at historic lows and maintained that it will keep rates low for an extended period of time. The central bank also reiterated its pledge to stop buying mortgage-backed securities at the end of this month. However, the Fed did upgrade its assessment of the economy.
Europe shames its major powers over debts (AFP) ...
AFP - The European Union Wednesday accused its major powers of running away from bulging government deficits, as Greece said it could still seek IMF help if European backing did not ease its debt crisis.
Zara owner's profits rise on strong Asia sales (AFP) ...
AFP - Spain's Inditex, Europe's biggest clothing retailer and the company behind Zara, posted Wednesday a rise in profit as strong sales abroad, especially in Asia, offset sluggish domestic demand.
CIBC wins dismissal of suit over subprime holdings (Reuters) ... Reuters - A U.S. federal judge dismissed a shareholder lawsuit accusing Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and four executives, including Chief Executive Gerald McCaughey, of misleading investors about the bank's exposure to subprime mortgages.
Oil falls to near $82 after 2-day rally (AP) ...
AP - Oil prices fell to near $82 a barrel Thursday in Asia, paring two days of gains that were fueled by signs U.S. crude demand may be improving.
Nissan to make Leaf electric cars in Sunderland (AFP) ...
AFP - Nissan Motor on Thursday said it would start building its zero-emission Leaf electric car at a plant in Sunderland from 2013, saving more than 2,000 jobs in one of England's most deprived regions.
When Will Mortgage Rates Go Up? (BusinessWeek) ... BusinessWeek - Over the last several months, I've written a lot about the current state of residential real estate, and the opportunities made available by the combination of lower housing prices and falling interest rates. As we approach the end of this year's residential real estate buying-and-selling season, this is a good time to start thinking about what might lie ahead.
AP Strange News Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:00:37 GMT
Airline crew face jail over sexy texts (Reuters) ... Reuters - Two Emirates airlines cabin crew have been ordered jailed for three months in Dubai over sexually explicit text messages, the latest in a string of indecency cases against foreigners, a newspaper reported Wednesday.
Top private school in poison soup mystery (Reuters) ... Reuters - An investigation has begun at one of Britain's most prestigious private schools after a member of staff was arrested on suspicion of trying to poison the pupils' soup, police said on Wednesday.
Love in a cold climate lethal for couple (Reuters) ... Reuters - A Russian couple having sex in a car parked in a tiny garage have died from carbon monoxide poisoning, Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday.
Drive a Porsche? Up your status with a phone (Reuters) ...
Reuters - As if a Porsche isn't enough of a status symbol, the German luxury sports car company's subsidiary, Porsche Design, is marketing a mobile phone that's exclusive to Porsche owners.
Pair faces jail time in Dubai over kiss (Reuters) ...
Reuters - A British pair caught kissing in public in Dubai face up to a month in jail in the Gulf Arab emirate for indecency after an Emirati mother complained her child had seen their indiscretion.
Female porn director swaps sex for British politics (Reuters) ... Reuters - A woman who has directed 300 "female-friendly" sex films is to test the liberal-mindedness of British voters and run for parliament in an election due within weeks.
Help wanted: Space flight experience required (Reuters) ... Reuters - For astronauts worried about their future with NASA, good news: a private company is hiring.
Man takes double hit from wife (Reuters) ... Reuters - A New Zealand man is recovering from injuries after being run over by his wife -- twice, local media reported on Friday.
Paying to pick seats loathsome, many passengers say (Reuters) ... Reuters - Paying for extras has become routine for airline passengers but it doesn't mean they like it, with a poll showing more than half all travelers hate having to fork out to choose their seat.
Want to live like a cowboy? Try Wyoming (Reuters) ... Reuters - Whether you want to live like a rock star or a cowboy, or become an urban gardener or just opt for the simple life, there is a town in America to suit everyone's taste.
Old sea dog sets tongues wagging at Crufts (Reuters) ...
Reuters - A 16th century dog, the only known female to have served aboard King Henry VIII's ill-fated flagship the Mary Rose, has stolen the show at Britain's Crufts dog show this year.
Nurses' union: Care does not include sex (Reuters) ...
Reuters - A union representing Dutch nurses will launch a national campaign Friday against demands for sexual services by patients who claim it should be part of their standard care.
The price you pay for being romantic... (Reuters) ... Reuters - A German woman, fearful that a burglar was trying to break into her second storey apartment, called police after she heard someone climbing up to her balcony shortly after midnight, police said Thursday.
Japan's spouse hunters hone skills at marriage school (Reuters) ... Reuters - In search of Mr. or Mrs. Right, dozens of Japanese are attending a newly launched school in Tokyo that aims to turn them into marriage material.
New Zealander auctions "ghosts" in a bottle (Reuters) ... Reuters - A New Zealand woman sold two vials that she said contained the ghosts of an old man and a young girl for almost NZ$2,000 ($1,410) after a fiercely contested online auction, local media reported.
Air Canada learns that hockey trumps flying (Reuters) ...
Reuters - Canada's largest airline has learned it sometimes has to take a back seat to the country's biggest sporting passion, ice hockey, the head of Air Canada said on Tuesday.
"Dead" baby elephant calf born alive in Sydney zoo (Reuters) ...
Reuters - An elephant gave birth to a calf at Sydney's main zoo on Wednesday, surprising vets and keepers who two days earlier declared the baby had died in the womb.
Canada Parliament eats seal to defy "ignorant" EU (Reuters) ...
Reuters - Canadian parliamentarians tucked into a meal of seal meat on Wednesday to defy both animal right activists and the European Union, which has banned imports of seal products.
Cyprus holds two for theft of ex-leader's corpse (Reuters) ...
Reuters - A court in Cyprus remanded two men in custody Wednesday on suspicion of snatching the corpse of former Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos, holding it for ransom for three months until its discovery Monday.
Residents flee Angolan village invaded by elephants (Reuters) ... Reuters - Wild elephants rampaged through a southern village in Angola last weekend, destroying farms and dozens of houses and prompting most of its 4,000 residents to flee to neighboring Namibia, a local official said Tuesday.