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Friday, March 22, 2013

Cyprus parliament starts debate on bank break-up, fund

Cyprus parliament starts debate on bank break-up, fund

Cyprus parliament starts debate on bank break-up, fund

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:35 PM PDT

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus's parliament convened in an emergency session on Friday to discuss legislation breaking up the island's second-largest lender as the country teetered on the brink of financial meltdown. Lawmakers was expected to discuss creating a so-called "solidarity fund", even though international lenders have rejected it as an option for the country to raise cash. They were also due to discuss imposing capital controls, giving authorities power to restrict cash outflows amid worries of a bank run. ...

ND lawmakers define life as starting at conception

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:35 PM PDT

North Dakota Republican Sen. Margaret Sitte poses for a picture at the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D., on Friday, March 22, 2013. The Bismarck Republican is the primary sponsor of a bill that the North Dakota Legislature passed Friday that would essentially ban abortion by defining human life as beginning at conception. The bill is one of a series North Dakota lawmakers have passed this year, chipping away at abortion rights. (AP Photo/James MacPherson)BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota lawmakers moved Friday to outlaw abortion in the state by passing a resolution defining life as starting at conception.

FAA to close 149 air traffic towers under cuts

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:35 PM PDT

CHICAGO (AP) — Under orders to trim hundreds of millions of dollars from its budget, the Federal Aviation Administration released a final list Friday of 149 air traffic control facilities that it will close at small airports around the country starting early next month.

Obama withdraws appeals court pick

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:35 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is withdrawing his nominee to a federal appeals court after Republicans twice blocked her confirmation.

3 dead, including suspect, in Marine base shooting

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:34 PM PDT

QUANTICO, Va. (AP) — A Marine who worked at a rigorous school that tests Marines who want to become officers fatally shot two of his colleagues before killing himself in a barracks dorm room.

Cypriot president to go to Brussels if solution found: official

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:34 PM PDT

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades will travel to Brussels at the weekend if a solution to the country's European Union bailout crisis is found, a government official said on Friday on condition of anonymity. Two euro zone sources told Reuters the finance ministers of the 17 nation currency union would meet on Sunday in Brussels, as Nicosia closes in on a deal to raise billions of euros in return for an EU bailout. (Reporting by Michele Kambas; Writing by Matt Robinson; Editing by Jon Hemming)

The cash register rings its last sale

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:32 PM PDT

In this Friday, Feb. 15, 2013, photo, a sales staff member at Barney's New York uses an iPod Touch to help a customer make a purchase, in New York. Stores across the country are ditching the old-fashioned, clunky cash registers and instead having salespeople _ and shoppers themselves _ checkout on smartphones and tablet computers. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)NEW YORK (AP) — Ka-ching! The cash register may be on its final sale.

Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:30 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Guest lineups for the Sunday TV news shows:

Texas shootout may tie to Colo. prison chief death

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:27 PM PDT

DECATUR, Texas (AP) — A former Colorado inmate and white supremacist at the center of a two-state mystery is dead after a high-speed chase and shootout with Texas deputies. Now investigators are trying to piece together whether he killed the chief of Colorado prisons and a pizza delivery man, where he was headed when Texas police stopped him.

Euro zone finance ministers to meet Sunday on Cyprus: sources

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:23 PM PDT

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Finance ministers of the 17-nation euro zone will hold talks on Sunday on the bailout crisis in Cyprus, two euro zone sources told Reuters on Friday. The meeting was scheduled as Cypriot leaders said they were closing in on a deal to raise billions of euros demanded by the European Union in return for a bailout to avert a financial meltdown. (Writing by Matt Robinson)

Yellowstone bison hunt takes most since '89

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:22 PM PDT

FILE - This Feb. 4, 2011 file photo shows bison grazing near the U.S. Route 89 highway just outside of Gardiner, Mont. Hundreds of bison have left the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park this winter in search of food. The annual hunt for wild bison migrating from Yellowstone National Park has hit its highest level in decades. Driven by strong participation from American Indian tribes, roughly 250 of the animals have been killed this season after leaving Yellowstone for winter range at lower elevations in Montana.(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, file)BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Hunters killed more wild bison migrating from Yellowstone National Park this season than they have in decades, with the numbers driven by strong participation from American Indians who harvest the animals under longstanding treaty rights.

NBC to air interview with Jerry Sandusky on Monday

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:20 PM PDT

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — NBC plans to air excerpts of jailhouse interviews with former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky next week that were given to a documentary filmmaker working on a defense of Joe Paterno.

Cyprus exposure fears drive bearish bets on Russian ETF

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:19 PM PDT

By Doris Frankel (Reuters) - Option investors worried about Russia's exposure to the banking crisis in Cyprus have been stepping up their bearish bets in one of the largest exchange-traded funds focused on Russian stocks. There has been a surge in bearish activity in options of the Market Vectors Russia fund on expectations that shares in that country could lose ground if Russian depositors are forced to pay taxes in Cyprus to help bail out the small Mediterranean island nation. ...

Cuban pianist Bebo Valdes dies in Sweden at age 94

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:19 PM PDT

MADRID (AP) — Renowned Cuban pianist Bebo Valdes, whose son Chuco Valdes is a well-known musician in his own right, has died in Sweden at age 94.

Pa. caretaker charged with drinking old whiskey

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:15 PM PDT

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) — The live-in caretaker of a western Pennsylvania mansion is facing criminal charges for allegedly drinking more than $100,000 worth of the owner's whiskey.

Hunger strike hinders DC murder trial plans

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:12 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The already-bizarre criminal case of a slain German socialite and journalist has been brought to a virtual standstill by her husband's refusal to eat, which has left the defendant unable to sit or stand on his own and at risk of death.

Obama brokers Israel-Turkey rapprochement

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:11 PM PDT

By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel apologized to Turkey on Friday for killing nine Turkish citizens in a 2010 naval raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla and the two feuding U.S. allies agreed to normalize relations in a surprise breakthrough announced by U.S. President Barack Obama. The rapprochement could help regional coordination to contain spillover from the Syrian civil war and ease Israel's diplomatic isolation in the Middle East as it faces challenges posed by Iran's nuclear program. ...

Lebanese prime minister resigns amid infighting

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:06 PM PDT

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati announces his resignation at the government palace, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, March 22, 2013. Lebanon's prime minister has resigned due to an impasse over a new election law and the Cabinet's refusal to extend the tenure of the country's police chief. The Hezbollah-dominated cabinet has also refused to extend the tenure of Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi, Lebanon's police chief, whom it considers a foe. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon's prime minister resigned Friday due to an impasse over a new election law and the Cabinet's refusal to extend the tenure of the country's police chief.

Mississippi beats Wisconsin 57-46 in NCAA tourney

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:04 PM PDT

Mississippi forward Murphy Holloway (31) gets past Wisconsin forward/center Jared Berggren (40) to score during the second half of a second-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 22, 2013, in Kansas City, Mo. Mississippi won 57-46. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Marshall Henderson shook out of a shooting slump and scored 17 points in the second half, leading 12th-seeded Mississippi past No. 5 Wisconsin 57-46 on Friday, giving the Rebels their first NCAA tournament win since 2002.

Fitch poised to cut UK's AAA rating soon

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:04 PM PDT

A flag is reflected on the window of the Fitch Ratings headquarters in New YorkBy Christina Fincher and Daniel Bases LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Britain looked poised to lose its AAA rating from a second ratings agency after Fitch Ratings warned on Friday it was likely to downgrade the country in the coming weeks, citing high government debt levels and weak growth. A month since Britain was downgraded by Moody's, Fitch put the country on review and said a downgrade was a heightened possibility. A decision is due by the end of April, Fitch said in a statement. Sterling fell sharply, dropping half a cent against the dollar. ...

Dispute over worker wages snags immigration talks

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:03 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A dispute between business and labor groups over wages for low-skilled workers flared up Friday as senators grasped for a deal on a sweeping immigration bill.

France says Central African Republic rebels near capital

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:53 PM PDT

PARIS (Reuters) - Rebels in the Central African Republic have advanced to within "a few kilometers" of the capital Bangui, a spokesman for France's foreign ministry said on Friday, calling on all sides to protect the civilian population. "According to our information, the Seleka rebels are no more than a few kilometers from Bangui," said foreign ministry spokesman Vincent Floreani in an emailed statement. "A warning has been sent to our compatriots asking them to restrict their movements," he said. "Measures for their protection will be taken depending on how the situation evolves. ...

Egyptians clash at Muslim Brotherhood offices

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:50 PM PDT

Egyptian anti-riot soldiers stand guard in front of a destroyed banner of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party after protesters broke into a branch headquarters in the Manial neighborhood in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, March 22, 2013. Thousands of opponents and supporters of Egypt's powerful Muslim Brotherhood clashed Friday near the Islamist group's Cairo headquarters, where riot police guarded the building. In another Cairo neighborhood, young protesters broke into the Brotherhood party's office in Manial and stole some items, according to security officials. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian protesters clashed with the president's Muslim Brotherhood backers and ransacked three offices nationwide Friday as anger over allegations of beatings and power-grabbing boiled over into the largest and most violent demonstrations yet on the doorstep of the powerful group.

Italy president asks Bersani to see if can form government

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:49 PM PDT

Italy's PD leader Bersani looks on during a news conference following a meeting with Italian President Napolitano at the Quirinale Presidential palace in RomeBy James Mackenzie and Barry Moody ROME (Reuters) - President Giorgio Napolitano asked center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani on Friday to assess whether he can win enough support in Italy's divided parliament to form a government and end the political deadlock left by elections last month. After two days of consultations with political leaders, Napolitano said he had given Bersani a mandate to talk to other parties and see if he can get the guaranteed support needed for a vote of confidence in both houses of parliament, where no single group has a workable majority. ...

Rebels advance toward C. African Republic capital

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:48 PM PDT

FILE - In this Jan. 2, 2013 file photo, a convoy of Chadian soldiers fighting in support of Central African Republic president Francois Bozize moves along the road in Damara, about 70km (44 miles) north of the capital Bangui, Central African Republic Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. On Friday, March 22, rebels took the town of Damara, beginning a new march to take the capital, Bangui, said a rebel spokesman. Panic spread throughout the capital, with the neighborhoods closest to the northern gate of the city emptying out, as frightened residents locked up their shops, packed their bags and yanked their children out of school. Banks and government offices closed early.(AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — Rebels in Central African Republic are advancing on the capital, Bangui, after taking the town of Damara on Friday, a rebel spokesman said.

Italy's Bersani tapped to form new government

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:45 PM PDT

Democratic Party, PD, leader Pierluigi Bersani walks past a courassier presidential guard after talks with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano on the formation of a new government, in Rome's Quirinale presidential palace, Thursday, March 21, 2013. Fresh elections could soon be called if President Napolitano, after consultations on Wednesday and Thursday, decides no one can muster a reliable enough majority in Parliament to enact the economic and electoral reforms needed to pull Italy out of recession and improve future prospects for stable governments. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)ROME (AP) — Italy's center-left leader, Pier Luigi Bersani, was given the tough task Friday to form a new and viable government, which is badly needed to steer the country out of recession and get more Italians back to work.

Obama, Jordan's Abdullah offer united front on Syria

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:44 PM PDT

By Matt Spetalnick and Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Jordan's King Abdullah presented a united front against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday as Jordan grapples with a refugee crisis caused by Syria's civil war. Obama, in Jordan following a visit to Israel and the West Bank, pledged new aid to help the country deal with the refugee crush but stopped short of promising military assistance to Syrian rebels to speed the departure of Assad after a two-year civil war that has claimed 70,000 lives. Syria dominated talks between Obama and King Abdullah. ...

Turkey says all main demands met with Israeli apology

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:43 PM PDT

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday all of Turkey's fundamental demands had been met with an apology from Israel over the killing of nine Turkish citizens in a 2010 naval raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla. In a telephone call with his Turkish counterpart earlier on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu apologized for the killings and said Israel would pay compensation to the families of victims aboard the flotilla. (Reporting by Jonathon Burch; Editing by Jon Hemming)

Rosneft to triple oil supplies to China

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:39 PM PDT

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's top oil producer Rosneft will, over time, more than triple total volumes of oil supplies to China, making the country Russia's biggest oil consumer, Rosneft head Igor Sechin said on Friday. Russia will increase oil supplies by 31 million tonnes a year, and will get a $2 billion 25-year loan. "Today we signed... an agreement on principles of crude oil supplies, which foresees (a) gradual increase in ... supplies starting from 800,000 tonnes this year in addition to those contracts and obligations that we signed in 2009," Sechin told reporters. ...

Piraeus in deal to buy Greek units of Cypriot banks

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:37 PM PDT

By George Georgiopoulos, Lefteris Papadimas and Laura Noonan ATHENS/NICOSIA (Reuters) - Greece's Piraeus Bank struck a deal on Friday to take over the Greek branches of Cyprus's troubled banks in what a source close to the matter said involved the transfer of 17 billion euros of loans and 14 billion euros of deposits. Piraeus was chosen in a deal that helps to shield Greek banks from the island's crisis and allows Cyprus to shrink its bloated banking sector. The deal, announced by Greece's bank bailout fund, is subject to approval by European competition authorities. ...

Line begins at high court for gay marriage cases

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:34 PM PDT

People bundled against the cold, wait in the line to enter the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, March 22, 2013, to listen to oral arguments in next weeks Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8 cases. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)WASHINGTON (AP) — A line has begun forming at the Supreme Court for people who want to attend next week's arguments in two gay marriage cases.

TV ratings up for NCAA tournament's 1st full day

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:32 PM PDT

Harvard's Laurent Rivard (0) battles under the boards with New Mexico's Chad Adams (4) and teammateTony Snell (21) in the second half during a second round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament in Salt Lake City Thursday, March 21, 2013. Harvard defeated New Mexico New Mexico 68-62. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)NEW YORK (AP) — The NCAA tournament's first full day has earned its highest television rating in 19 years.

Cypriot parliament to convene to debate crisis measures

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:19 PM PDT

(Reuters) - The Cypriot parliament is to convene to debate bills on Cyprus Popular Bank, the use of capital controls on banks and the creation of a "solidarity fund" pooling state assets, the ruling party said on Friday. "I want to believe that things are developing positively," said Democratic Rally party deputy leader Averof Neophytou. "There are difficulties but we are on the right path." (Editing by Andrew Heavens)

FCC Chairman Genachowski to step down

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:17 PM PDT

FILE - Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski testifies during his nominee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this June 16, 2009 file photo. The chairman of the Fe-deral Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski, on Friday, MArch 22, 2013, announced his resignation in the "coming weeks. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg, File)NEW YORK (AP) — The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski, on Friday announced that he's stepping down in the "coming weeks," after a four-year tenure that's garnered mixed reviews for him and tangible progress in the industries he oversees.

Exclusive: Fed pushes banks to ignore rivals when setting bonuses

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:17 PM PDT

A view shows the Federal Reserve building in WashingtonBy Lauren Tara LaCapra NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve is pushing banks to ignore competitors' performance when awarding bonuses, and focus squarely on their own profitability, according to pay consultants and other people familiar with the matter. The central bank is hoping to change a deeply ingrained habit on Wall Street: awarding bonuses to senior executives based in part on whether the company's performance lagged or beat rivals. ...

Punxsutawney Phil 'indicted' over spring forecast

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:15 PM PDT

CINCINNATI (AP) — Famed groundhog Punxsutawney Phil might want to go back into hibernation.

Horse shooting underscores slaughter debate

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:13 PM PDT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An Internet video that shows a meat company employee swearing at animal activists before shooting a horse in the head underscores the increasing emotional intensity of the national debate over whether a southeastern New Mexico plant should be allowed to resume domestic horse slaughter.

Analysis: Cypriot gas no fix for country's funding gap

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:11 PM PDT

By Henning Gloystein and Kevin Allison LONDON (Reuters) - Cyprus' gas is worth less than $2 billion based on reserves found so far and there may be too little to develop anyway, leaving plans to mortgage them against a $13 billion bailout unlikely to fly, Reuters research has found. So far, an estimated 200 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas worth $80 billion at current prices have been discovered in the Aphrodite gas field in Cypriot waters. ...

Cyprus eyes bailout deal, U-turn on levy

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:11 PM PDT

Protesters shout slogans during an anti-bailout rally by employees of Cyprus Popular Bank outside the parliament in NicosiaBy Michele Kambas and Costas Pitas NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus was just hours away from a deal on Friday to raise billions of euros and unlock a bailout from the European Union that could avert financial meltdown and exit from the euro, its ruling party said. The remarks came after Moscow had rebuffed requests from Nicosia for assistance to save Cypriot banks in which Russians have billions at risk and at least one euro zone minister, Finland's Alexander Stubb, said an EU accord would be reached. ...

New Yorkers boldly flout law to keep pigs

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:11 PM PDT

Danielle Forgione and her daughter, Olivia, 3, play with Petey, the family's pet pig, on Thursday, March 21, 2013, in the Queens borough of New York. Forgione is scrambling to sell her second-floor apartment after a neighbor complained about 1-year-old Petey the pig to the co-op board. In November and December she was issued city animal violations and in January was told by both the city and her management office that she needed to get rid of the pig. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)NEW YORK (AP) — In a city of high-rises and tiny apartments, pigs are found mainly on menus. Most New Yorkers would never consider making pets out of a barnyard animal that's synonymous with sloppiness.
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