GNOOZ

APNewsBreak: 22 states join campaign finance fight

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 09:02 AM

Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia are backing Montana in its fight to prevent the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision from being used to strike down state laws restricting corporate campaign spending.

Party leaders refuse to budge on debt positions

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:35 PM

Republicans and Democrats are refusing to budge when it comes to their already hardened positions on spending cuts versus tax increases to deal with the nation's debt.

Obama wants new banking rules put in place soon

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 12:06 PM

President Barack Obama says the big trading loss at JPMorgan Chase shows the need to finally put in place banking rules he signed into law two years ago. He also is calling on Congress to stop trying to weaken the regulations.

Explosion near U.N. ceasefire monitor chief's convoy: Reuters witness

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 03:25 PM

DOUMA, Syria (Reuters) - A roadside bomb exploded on Sunday about 150 meters (yards) from a United Nations convoy carrying the head of a Syria ceasefire monitoring mission and a senior U.N. official in the town of Douma, a Reuters witness said. Major General Robert Mood's car was stopped at an army checkpoint when the bomb detonated in an nearby alleyway and the convoy left, the Reuters journalist said, adding that there were no reports of casualties. United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous, who is visiting Syria, was also part of the convoy. ...

Syrian army shelling, gunfire kills 34 in Hama: group

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 03:25 PM

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian army shelling and gunfire killed 34 people, including children, on Sunday in the town of Souran in the central province of Hama, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "The army shelled the town and then stormed it," the head of the group Rami Abdelrahman told Reuters, citing residents. Hama has been a focal point of Syria's 14-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. Activist video footage posted on the internet showed dead men wrapped in rugs with mourners crying around them. ...

In tornado-weary Joplin, graduates eager to move on despite Obama visit

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 03:24 PM

JOPLIN, Mo (Reuters) - Having the president of the United States speak at commencement would normally be the most memorable day in the life of a high school senior. But not in Joplin, Missouri, where President Barack Obama's commencement address on Monday will come one year after the deadliest tornado in the United States in six decades killed 161 people. "I'm pretty sure we will remember the tornado more than Obama's speech," said graduating senior Ethan Ritschel. ...

NATO chief: No "rush for the exits" in Afghan war

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 03:09 PM

CHICAGO (Reuters) - NATO leaders sought on Sunday to dispel fears of a rush for the exits in Afghanistan even as the Western alliance met to chart a path out of an unpopular war that has dragged on for more than a decade. President Barack Obama, who once called the Afghan conflict a "war of necessity" but is now looking for an orderly way out, hosted the NATO summit in his home town, Chicago, a day after major industrialized nations tackled a European debt crisis that threatens the global economy. ...

Serbia opposition claims victory in presidential vote

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 03:08 PM

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbian opposition leader Tomislav Nikolic's camp claimed victory on Sunday in a presidential run-off against liberal incumbent Boris Tadic. "From tonight, Serbia has a new president - Tomislav Nikolic," Nikolic's party deputy Aleksandar Vucic told cheering supporters in the capital, Belgrade. (Writing by Matt Robinson)

Megrahi death does not end quest for Lockerbie justice: White House

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 03:01 PM

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The White House said on Sunday that the death of convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Bassett al-Megrahi would not end the quest for justice for the families of the 270 people killed when a Pan Am airliner was blown up over Scotland in 1988. Megrahi, 60, who was convicted in 2001 but maintained his innocence, died of cancer at his home in Tripoli, his brother told Reuters. "Megrahi's death concludes an unfortunate chapter following his release from prison in 2009 on medical grounds - a move we strongly opposed," said White House national security council spokesman Tommy Vietor. ...

U.N. nuclear chief hopeful on Iran deal before Baghdad meet

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:53 PM

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear supervisor flew to Tehran on Sunday voicing optimism he could reach a deal to investigate suspected atom bomb research - a possible breakthrough that Iran may hope could help ease Western sanctions pressure and deflect threats of war. "I really think this is the right time to reach agreement. Nothing is certain but I stay positive," Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said at Vienna airport, adding "good progress" had already been made. ...

U.S. trainer shot in Yemen, army advances on militants

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:31 PM

SANAA/ADEN (Reuters) - Unidentified assailants shot and seriously wounded a U.S. military instructor in Yemen on Sunday, while the army closed in on a town controlled by al Qaeda-linked fighters in heavy fighting that killed at least 27 people, local officials said. Four Americans - who were in the impoverished Arab state training its coastguard - were in the car that was attacked, a Yemeni coastguard officer said. "They were leaving their hotel in a Land Cruiser when militants in another car pulled up alongside and opened fire with rifles. ...

Obama: NATO shifting to help peace in Afghanistan

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:30 PM

The NATO alliance that has fought for a decade in Afghanistan is helping that nation shift toward stability and peace, but there will be "hard days ahead," President Barack Obama said Sunday as alliance leaders insisted the fighting coalition will remain effective despite France's plans to yank combat troops out early.

Lockerbie bomber Megrahi has died in Libya: brother

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:19 PM

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of the 1988 bombing of a PanAm flight over Lockerbie, died of cancer on Sunday aged 60, leaving many questions on the attack and its aftermath unanswered. Megrahi, who said he was not responsible for bringing the jumbo jet down on the Scottish town and killing 270 people, was found guilty in 2001 but was freed in 2009 and returned to Libya because he had terminal cancer and was not expected to live long. ...

Protesters begin biggest anti-NATO rally in Chicago

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 02:05 PM

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters, some dressed as clowns and others bearing anti-war signs, gathered on Sunday in a lakefront park in the biggest test yet for Chicago police trying to keep the peace as world leaders began meeting for a two-day NATO summit. Previous protests in the run-up to the summit Sunday and Monday have been lively but peaceful, resulting in fewer than two dozen arrests over the past six days, according to the Chicago Police Department. ...

Party leaders refuse to budge on debt positions

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:35 PM

Republicans and Democrats are refusing to budge when it comes to their already hardened positions on spending cuts versus tax increases to deal with the nation's debt.

Obama pushes for post-2014 vision for Afghanistan

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:27 PM

President Barack Obama says the NATO alliance agrees on a vision for post-2014 Afghanistan and is pressing world leaders to implement that strategy following a decade of war.

Two more men charged in probe of NATO attack plots

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:26 PM

CHICAGO (Reuters) - One man was arrested on terrorism-related charges and another for possession of explosives, bringing to five the number of people arrested ahead of the NATO summit on Sunday in an alleged plot to target U.S. President Barack re-election headquarters. Chicago residents Sebastian Senakiewicz, 24, and Mark Neiweem, 28, were charged as part of the investigation that led to the arrest of three self-described anarchists on terrorism-related charges. ...

Newt Gingrich Owed $4.78M When He Suspended Campaign, Report Shows

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:23 PM

By the time he announced his plans to suspend his campaign in late April, Newt Gingrich owed $4.78 million, according to his FEC filing for April, released today. The Gingrich campaign had just $806,960 cash on hand by the close of the reporting period, which...

Iran economy minister says EU embargo to push up oil price - CNN

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:23 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran's economy minister said oil prices will "certainly" rise if the European Union moves ahead with an embargo in July and that sanctions will backfire on those who impose them. The European Union is preparing for a total embargo on the purchase of Iranian crude oil in July. The United States has also imposed sanctions targeting Iran's energy and banking sectors. ...

George Will Slams New York Times for Joe Ricketts Story

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:12 PM

  ABC News’ George Will this morning slammed The New York Times for its story this week outlining a proposed advertising campaign to link Rev. Jeremiah Wright and President Obama. Will argued on the “This Week” roundtable that the story did not accurately reflect the actions of  Joe Ricketts –...

NATO chief insists no rush to exits in Afghanistan

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:07 PM

The United States and NATO leaders insist the Afghanistan fighting coalition will remain whole despite France's plans to yank combat troops out early, but leaders wary of plummeting public support for the war are using an alliance summit Sunday to show they want to move quickly away from the front lines.

Bahraini activist granted bail but not released

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 01:04 PM

DUBAI (Reuters) - A leading Bahraini opposition activist accused of insulting authorities remained in jail on Sunday, despite being granted bail, because he faces a second charge of organizing illegal protests, his lawyer said. Nabeel Rajab is the founder of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights who led many protests that were part of an on-going uprising led by the Shi'ite Muslim majority against the Sunni ruling Al Khalifa dynasty that rules the Gulf Arab island. ...

Senators decry convicted Lockerbie bomber's death in freedom

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 12:55 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Charles Schumer on Sunday criticized the Scottish government for allowing convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Bassett al-Megrahi to die a free man in what he said "smelled of a deal for oil." Schumer, a New York Democrat, said on CNN that the death of Megrahi, reported on Sunday by the former Libyan intelligence officer's brother, meant the full truth about the bombing of a Pan Am airliner in 1988 over Scotland may never be known. He has questioned whether Megrahi was released from prison as part of a deal for Libyan oil. ...

Italy PM Monti shortens U.S. trip after bomb and quake

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 12:51 PM

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Sunday he would return home early from the United States following a bomb that killed a teenager in the south on Saturday and an earthquake that struck northern Italy on Sunday. Monti said in Chicago, where he is attending a NATO summit, that he would stay for only the first session, leave on Sunday night and be in Rome by Monday. His comments were broadcast on Italian television. (Reporting By Philip Pullella)

Italy PM Monti shortens U.S. trip after bomb and quake

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 12:50 PM

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Sunday he would return home early from the United States following a bomb that killed a teenager in the south on Saturday and an earthquake that struck northern Italy on Sunday. Monti said in Chicago, where he is attending a NATO summit, that he would stay for only the first session, leave on Sunday night and be in Rome by Monday. His comments were broadcast on Italian television. (Reporting By Philip Pullella)

Libya's NTC says Megrahi death will not shut Lockerbie file

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 12:48 PM

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's National Transitional Council said on Sunday the death of Abdul Basset al-Megrahi, convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, will not end the government's investigation into the attack. "We would have liked to uncover more truths but his death will not shut the Lockerbie file," NTC spokesman Mohamed al-Harizy told Reuters. "The Libyan government will continue to investigate the crimes committed by the Gaddafi regime using other witnesses." (Reporting by Taha Zargoun; Writing By Hadeel Al-Shalchi)

What to look for at the NATO summit

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 12:38 PM

A look at the main issues for the NATO alliance at the summit meeting for heads of government in Chicago on Sunday and Monday.

Lone bomber, not mafia, sought for Italy school attack

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 12:09 PM

BRINDISI (Reuters) - A bomb attack which killed a teenage girl and wounded 10 other people in the southern Italian town of Brindisi was probably done by an individual operating alone, a senior official said on Sunday, playing down initial suspicions of mafia involvement. Saturday's attack on the Francesca Morvillo Falcone school, a vocational training institute named after the wife of a famed anti-mafia judge, horrified Italy and sparked speculation it was the work of southern Italy's organized crime gangs. ...

North Korea releases detained Chinese fishermen

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 11:59 AM

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea released a number of Chinese fishermen and boats on Sunday two weeks after seizing them, ending a rare public dispute between the two allies, Chinese state media reported. The boats were taken in the Yellow Sea between China and North Korea on May 8 - although it remains unclear whether the action was authorized by the North Korean government. The North Koreans who took the boats had demanded 1.2 million yuan ($189,800) for releasing the fishermen, then cut their price to 900,000 yuan, the owner of one of the captured vessels said last week. ...

NATO chief sees financial aid for Afghan forces

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 11:52 AM

NATO's secretary-general says he's optimistic that the international community will continue to finance the Afghan security forces.

U.S. banking laws unable to stop JPMorgan loss: Republican Boehner

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 11:44 AM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. banking reforms could not have prevented JPMorgan Chase & Co's trading losses, and those involved in the activities that went awry should be held accountable, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said in an interview aired on Sunday. "I don't believe there's anything in Dodd-Frank (financial reform law) that would've prevented this activity at JPMorgan," said Boehner, the top Republican U.S. officeholder. He made the comments Friday in an interview for ABC's "This Week. ...

UK's Cameron: Megrahi should have never been freed

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 11:33 AM

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the former Libyan intelligence officer convicted of the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight, should have never been released from prison, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Sunday. "I've always been clear he should never have been released from prison," Cameron said on Sunday in Chicago where NATO leaders gathered for a summit. "Today is a day to remember the 270 people who lost their lives in what was an appalling terrorist act. Our thoughts should be with them and their families for the suffering they've had. ...

Barney Frank Won't Invite Obama to His Wedding, Citing Secret Service

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012 11:30 AM

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., will marry his partner in July, but there's one person he's not including on the guest list: President Obama."If he and his wife wanted to come, I would be delighted and honored to have them. But he will bring the Secret Service," Frank said on C-SPAN's Newsmakers on Sunday, adding that "it would ruin the party to have the Secret Service" there."I don't want to be accused of having shut down the entire region for a five mile radius on a holiday weekend," he said. Frank, who is gay, has loudly praised Obama's statement in support of gay marriage just a few weeks ...