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Sexual assault is a 'scourge' on U.S. military, Hagel says

Sat, 25 May 2013 15:45:49 +0100

(Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called sexual assault a "scourge" on Saturday as he addressed graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where a sergeant stands accused of videotaping female cadets in the showers. "Sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military are a profound betrayal - a profound betrayal - of sacred oaths and sacred trusts," Hagel said. "This scourge must be stamped out." His comments came a day after President Barack Obama delivered a similar message to graduates at the U.S. ...

In Syria's shadow, Iraq violence presents new test for U.S.

Sat, 25 May 2013 06:07:10 +0100

By Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Saddled with Middle East problems ranging from Iran to Syria and beyond, President Barack Obama now faces one that is both old and new: Iraq. Unresolved sectarian tensions, inflamed by the raging civil war in neighbouring Syria, have combined to send violence in Iraq to its highest level since Obama withdrew the last U.S. troops in December 2011, U.S. officials and Middle East analysts say. A Sunni Muslim insurgency against the Shi'ite-led Baghdad government has also been reawakened. ...

Obama wants to end 'war on terror' but Congress balks

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:34:13 +0100

By Patricia Zengerle and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama wants to roll back some of the most controversial aspects of the U.S. "war on terror," but efforts to alter the global fight against Islamist militants will face the usual hurdle at home: staunch opposition from Republicans in Congress. In a major policy speech on Thursday, Obama narrowed the scope of the targeted-killing drone campaign against al Qaeda and its allies and announced steps toward closing the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba. He acknowledged the past use of "torture" in U.S. ...

President Obama again to serve as honorary Cup chairman

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:11:52 +0100

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama has accepted an invitation to be honorary chairman of this year's Presidents Cup, the second time he will fulfil the role at the biennial team competition, the PGA Tour said on Friday. Obama, an avid basketball player who often escapes the pressures of the Oval Office by taking to the golf course, served as honorary chairman when the event was last played in the United States, at San Francisco's Harding Park in 2009. ...

Pakistan remains opposed to drones after Obama speech

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:22:43 +0100

The Pakistan government Friday repeated its view that US drone strikes in its territory were illegal, after President Barack Obama laid out new guidelines for their use.

U.S. durable goods orders point to factory resilience

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:16:19 +0100

By Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods rose more than expected in April, a hopeful sign that a sharp slowdown in factory output could soon run its course. New orders for durable goods, which range from toasters to aircraft, increased 3.3 percent last month, the Commerce Department said on Friday. The data was the latest to show the U.S. economy exhibiting surprising resilience in the face of harsh fiscal austerity measures enacted this year. ...

US bridge collapse sends cars, people into river

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:22:56 +0100

A highway bridge over a river in the northwestern US state of Washington partially collapsed Thursday, sending cars and people plunging into the water below without causing any fatalities.

Cars In Skagit River After Bridge Collapses

Fri, 24 May 2013 18:32:38 +0100

A four-lane bridge across the Skagit River in Washington state has collapsed, throwing people and vehicles into the water but incredibly causing no fatalities.

Czech Murders: Kevin Dahlgren Detained In US

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:15:28 +0100

A California man wanted over a quadruple murder in the southern Czech city of Brno has been detained by police as he flew into Washington DC.

Suspect in Czech family killings arrested in Washington - police

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:24:07 +0100

PRAGUE (Reuters) - U.S. authorities have arrested a man wanted for murdering four members of a family in the Czech Republic, Czech police said on Friday. The man, identified by police as Kevin Dahlgren, has been searched for since four bodies were found in a family house in the city of Brno, 200 km southeast of Prague, on Wednesday evening. "Kevin Dahlgren, charged with quadruple murder, was arrested last night," after landing in Washington, regional police chief Leos Trzil said on Czech Television. News website www.idnes.cz said Dahlgren, 20, had flown to the United States from Vienna. ...

U.S. official hints at renewed Iranian sanctions waiver for India

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:15:59 +0100

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has made "tremendous progress" in reducing oil imports from Iran, a senior U.S. government official said on Friday, in a sign the South Asian nation is likely to get a third waiver from sanctions imposed by Washington against Tehran's nuclear programme. "All of the data is certainly pointing in a positive direction," U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman told reporters when asked about a possible waiver to India. U.S. ...

Guantanamo Policies Must Change, Says Obama

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:52:59 +0100

In a wide-ranging, impassioned speech to define US foreign policies on terrorism, President Barack Obama has outlined new policies governing the use of unmanned drones overseas.

Obama seeks end to perpetual U.S. 'war on terror'

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:06:49 +0100

By Matt Spetalnick and Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Twelve years after the "war on terror" began, President Barack Obama wants to pull the United States back from some of the most controversial aspects of its global fight against Islamist militants. In a major policy speech on Thursday, Obama narrowed the scope of the targeted-killing drone campaign against al Qaeda and its allies and took steps toward closing the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba. He acknowledged the past use of "torture" in U.S. ...

Obama seeks to redefine the US war on terror

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:08:34 +0100

President Barack Obama laid out new guidelines for drone strikes and launched a fresh bid to close Guantanamo, warning that a "perpetual" US war on terror would be self-defeating.

U.S. drone guidelines could reduce 'signature strikes'

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:24:48 +0100

By Tabassum Zakaria and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New U.S. guidelines for conducting armed drone operations overseas set a higher bar for attacking non-Americans and could reduce controversial "signature strikes" targeted at suspicious groups rather than individuals. But the drone guidelines announced by President Barack Obama on Thursday still include vague language and loopholes that officials could use to conduct more expansive operations. ...

Obama shifts U.S. from 'perpetual war-footing,' limits drone strikes

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:19:35 +0100

By Matt Spetalnick and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday shifted the United States away from a "boundless global war on terror," restricting deadly drone strikes abroad and signalling that America's long struggle against al Qaeda will one day end. In a major policy speech, Obama narrowed the scope of the U.S. targeted-killing campaign against al Qaeda and its allies and took new steps toward closing the Guantanamo Bay military prison - controversial elements of the U.S. counterterrorism fight that have drawn condemnation at home and abroad. ...

Google faces new federal antitrust probe - source

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:54:39 +0100

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators are in the early stages of an antitrust probe into whether Google Inc, the top player in Web display advertising, breaks antitrust law in how it handles some advertising sales, a source told Reuters on Thursday. The source said that it was unlikely that the Federal Trade Commission had sent out civil investigative demands in relation to the probe, which would be the sign of a formal and more serious investigation. ...

Obama in heated exchanges with Code Pink anti-war protester

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:41:54 +0100

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The woman who interrupted President Barack Obama's speech on counterterrorism policy on Thursday is well-known around Washington as a perennial protester on national security issues. Medea Benjamin, a founder of anti-war women's group Code Pink, began demonstrating years ago on Capitol Hill, becoming an almost routine presence at hearings where high-ranking officials of the Bush administration appeared to talk about the Iraq war. ...

Guantanamo prisoners tune in for Obama's speech on their fate

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:20:51 +0100

By Jane Sutton MIAMI (Reuters) - Among those tuning in to President Barack Obama's national security speech on Thursday were some prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, who rely on television broadcasts and newspapers for hints about their fate. "Detainees follow all coverage of Guantanamo closely, including today's speech, and the post-speech commentary, analysis and editorials," said Navy Captain Robert Durand, a spokesman for the Guantanamo detention operation. "There is interest and discussion, but no discernible reaction," he said. ...

Repatriating detainees to Yemen key to closing Guantanamo

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:47:09 +0100

By Susan Cornwell and Jane Sutton WASHINGTON/MIAMI (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's pledge on Thursday to lift a ban on transfers of detainees to Yemen from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, addresses one of the core obstacles to clearing out the detention camp. Of the 86 detainees who have been cleared for transfer or release, 56 are from Yemen, where al Qaeda has a dangerous presence. There are 80 more prisoners who are not cleared and an unknown number of those are Yemeni as well. Most of the Yemeni prisoners were captured more than a decade ago. ...

Former Goldman banker settles SEC 'pay-to-play' charges

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:15:24 +0100

By Lisa Lambert and Jonathan Stempel WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - A former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. investment banker has agreed to a five-year securities industry ban and a record fine to settle U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charges that he broke rules against influence peddling to win bond underwriting business in Massachusetts. Without admitting or denying wrongdoing, Neil Morrison, 38, accepted what the SEC said was the first industry ban for violating "pay-to-play" rules governing the $3.7 trillion (2.44 trillion pounds) municipal bond market. ...

Obama tackles drones, Guantanamo in reset of war on terror

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:54:37 +0100

President Barack Obama Thursday laid out new guidelines for drone strikes and launched a new bid to close Guantanamo Bay, warning that a "perpetual" US war on terror would be self defeating.

Factbox - Obama outlines steps toward closing Guantanamo prison

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:14 +0100

(Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama outlined steps on Thursday aimed at the eventual closure of the Guantanamo Bay military prison. Following are some facts about the detention operation at the U.S. Naval base in eastern Cuba: * The United States set up the prison after U.S.-led forces invaded Afghanistan in pursuit the al Qaeda network behind the hijacked plane attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, the Pentagon and rural Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. ...

Lawsuits seek more than U.S. acknowledgement of drone killings

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:40:17 +0100

By David Ingram WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is facing demands in court to reveal more about the U.S. drone program, despite his speech addressing it on Thursday and his government's acknowledgement a day earlier that four Americans have died in drone strikes. Civil liberties advocates, news organizations and the families of those who died have brought lawsuits in New York, Washington and Oakland, California, challenging the government's refusal to provide information. ...

ITC says Microsoft did not violate Google patent

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:37:46 +0100

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp won a round in a complex patent war on Thursday when the International Trade Commission said the company's popular Xbox entertainment system did not violate a patent owned by Google subsidiary Motorola Mobility. If the ITC had found that Microsoft infringed, it could have barred the Xbox from being imported into the United States. The fight over the Xbox is related to a larger smartphone patent war between Apple, Microsoft and the mobile phone makers who use Google's Android software, including Motorola Mobility. ...

Obama orders review of guidelines for probing journalists

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:28:04 +0100

By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Thursday he directed Attorney General Eric Holder to conduct a review of Department of Justice guidelines for investigations that involve journalists and report back by early July. Obama has come under criticism for his administration's pursuit of journalists who have reported leaked material. In recent weeks, it emerged that the Justice Department seized Associated Press phone records as part of a probe into leaks about a 2012 Yemen-based plot to bomb a U.S. ...

Pittsburgh on the Hudson? Wrong city in NY City campaign logo

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:31:57 +0100

NEW YORK (Reuters) - For New York City mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner, the road to City Hall leads through Pittsburgh. Weiner, the candidate who infamously resigned from the U.S. Congress two years ago in a sexting scandal, unveiled a video announcing his mayoral candidacy and a campaign logo on his website on Wednesday. The logo is written in blue and orange - the colours of Weiner's beloved New York Mets baseball team. But the image of the skyline that forms its backdrop, while similar to iconic images of New York's Brooklyn Bridge, is actually that of Pittsburgh's Roberto Clemente Bridge. ...

Factbox - Obama outlines rules for armed drone strikes

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:58:57 +0100

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a wide-ranging speech on foreign policy on Thursday, President Barack Obama defended his administration's use of drones to kill terrorists abroad, and in a nod to concerns, outlined plans to limit the use of such strikes. As described in a White House statement, the key elements of the president's policy for the use of force in counterterrorism operations outside the United States and outside a war zone are as follows: * The United States will not use lethal force when it is possible to capture a terrorist. ...

Goldman Sachs banker settles SEC 'pay-to-play' charges

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:20:12 +0100

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Goldman Sachs banker Neil Morrison agreed to pay $100,000 to settle charges for his role in a pay-to-play scheme involving a Massachusetts gubernatorial campaign, the largest such penalty paid by an individual, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Thursday. Morrison also was barred from the securities industry for five years in the first industry ban for violating municipal bond market rules on "pay-to-play," or the making of campaign donations in exchange for political favours, the SEC said. ...

Obama condemns attack on British service member

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:50:32 +0100

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Thursday he condemned "in the strongest terms" the attack in London on a British service member. "The United States stands resolute with the United Kingdom, our ally and friend, against violent extremism and terror," he said in a statement. (Reporting by Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Eric Walsh)