Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Germany to bring home gold stored in US, France

Germany to bring home gold stored in US, France

Germany to bring home gold stored in US, France

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:52 PM PST

A journalist holds a gold ingot next to a security officer of the German Central Bank, right, in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday Jan. 16, 2013. Germany's central bank is to bring back home some US $36 billion ( 27 billion euro) worth of gold stored in the United States and France.The Bundesbank said in a statement Wednesday that it will repatriate all 374 tons of gold it had stored in Paris by 2020. An additional 300 tons - equivalent to 8 percent of the Bundesbank's total reserves worth about $183 billion _ will also be shipped from New York to Frankfurt. Frankfurt will hold half of Germany's 3,400 tons of gold by 2020, with New York retaining 37 percent and London storing 13 percent. The move follows criticism from Germany's independent Federal Auditors' Office last year bemoaning the central bank's oversight of gold reserves abroad. (AP Photo/dpa/ Frank Rumpenhorst)FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — In what sounds like the setup for a stylish Hollywood heist movie, Germany is transferring nearly 700 tons of gold bars worth $36 billion from Paris and New York to its vaults in Frankfurt.

Oil jumps above $94 on US supply report

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:49 PM PST

The price of oil jumped above $94 a barrel Wednesday after an unexpected drop in U.S. crude supplies.

Pakistanis protest killing of 15 in village raid

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:47 PM PST

A boys sits next to his father's dead body in Peshawar, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. Hundreds of villagers from northwest Pakistan protested Wednesday the killing of 18 of their relatives in an overnight raid that they blamed on security forces, displaying the bodies of the victims in the provincial capital. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Several thousand protesters shouting anti-military slogans displayed the bodies of 15 local villagers on Wednesday in northwestern Pakistan, claiming they were shot dead in their homes by security forces in an overnight raid.

Obama makes biggest gun-control push in decades

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:45 PM PST

U.S. President Barack Obama (L) high fives children who wrote him letters about guns and gun control before sitting down to sign executive orders on a series of proposals to counter gun violence during an event at the White House in WashingtonWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama launched the biggest U.S. gun-control push in generations on Wednesday, urging Congress to approve an assault weapons ban and background checks for all gun buyers to prevent mass shootings like the Newtown school massacre. Rolling out a wide-ranging plan for executive and legislative action to curb gun violence, Obama set up a fierce clash with the powerful U.S. gun lobby and its supporters in Congress, who will resist what they see as an encroachment on constitutionally protected gun rights. ...

Pregnant Kim Kardashian wants to be more private

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:42 PM PST

FILE - This Dec. 6, 2012 file photo shows singer Kanye West, left, talks to his girlfriend Kim Kardashian before an NBA basketball game between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks in Miami. As the tabloids speculated over whether or not Jessica Simpson was expecting her second baby and the media zeroed in on Kate Middleton's pregnancy, Kardashian admits it was nice to be away from the glare of the spotlight as she was in the early stages of her own pregnancy. Now that the word is out, 32-year-old Kardashian says her motherly instincts have made her pull back from being so open about her personal life. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, file)NEW YORK (AP) — As the tabloids speculated about whether Jessica Simpson is expecting again (she is) and the media zeroed in on Kate Middleton's acute morning sickness, Kim Kardashian says it was nice to be out of the media spotlight during the early stages of her pregnancy.

Second presidential terms loaded with setbacks

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:40 PM PST

FILE - This Dec. 7, 1998 file photo shows President Bill Clinton waiting to speak at the White House in Washington. Second presidential terms are never easy. More often, they're fraught with peril, frequently marred by scandal, failure, hubris, and burnout and souring relations with Congress. (AP Photo/Greg Gibson, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — Second presidential terms are never easy — even for George Washington.

Rescuers free woman wedged between 2 buildings

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:39 PM PST

A woman is rescued from being trapped inside a wall of the parking garage at the Gretchen Kafoury Commons in SW Portland, Ore., Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. Portland firefighters worked for over three and a half hours cutting her free. (AP Photo/The Oregonian, Brent Wojahn)PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland firefighters cut a hole through concrete and used an air bag and a soapy lubricant to free an Oregon woman who fell and became stuck in a narrow opening between two buildings Wednesday morning.

UCI willing to offer amnesty if in line with WADA

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:37 PM PST

FILE - In this July 7, 2005, file photo, Lance Armstrong laughs as he has his weight matched with boxes containing champagne bottles while seated on a scale before the sixth stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Troyes and Nancy, eastern France. In 2012 Armstrong was stripped of his Tour de France titles, lost most of his endorsements and was forced to leave the Livestrong foundation last year after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency issued a damning, 1,000-page report that accused him of masterminding a long-running doping scheme. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)LONDON (AP) — Following criticism of its investigation into the Lance Armstrong doping scandal, cycling's governing body says it is willing to offer amnesty to riders and officials who provide information to its independent panel on doping, as long as the process is in line with the world anti-doping code.

Review: 'Broken City' could use some fixing

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:36 PM PST

This film image released by 20th Century Fox shows Russell Crowe, left, Jeffrey Wright and Mark Wahlberg, right, in a scene from "Broken City." (AP Photo/20th Century Fox, Alan Markfield)It should come as no surprise that every character in a movie called "Broken City" is either rotten to the core, or a liar, or a schemer, or the bearer of seriously damaging secrets.

Business CEOs call for raising retirement age

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:34 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — An influential group of business CEOs is pushing a plan to gradually increase the full retirement age to 70 for both Social Security and Medicare and to partially privatize the health insurance program for older Americans.

Court in NYC upholds geriatric gangster conviction

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:34 PM PST

NEW YORK (AP) — A 95-year-old mob boss who authorities say boasted about killing 60 people in a lifetime of crime must serve his eight-year prison sentence after his racketeering conspiracy conviction, a federal appeals court said Wednesday.

World sea piracy falls to five-year low in 2012

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:31 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — World sea piracy fell to its lowest level in five years in 2012, thanks to a huge reduction in Somali piracy, an international maritime watchdog said Wednesday.

Interior chief Salazar stepping down in March

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:27 PM PST

FILE - In this March 9 2009 file photo, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar gestures during an interview with The Associated Press in Washington. Salazar will leave the Obama administration in March, an Obama administration official said Wednesday. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)WASHINGTON (AP) — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who oversaw a moratorium on offshore drilling after the BP oil spill and promoted alternative energy sources throughout the nation, will step down in March.

Mom of Colo. woman missing in canyon fears worst

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:27 PM PST

Kaitlin Kenney of Englewood, Colo., is seen in an undated photo provided by the Grand Canyon National Park. Authorities are scaling back the search for Kenney, reported missing Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013 from a private river trip in Grand Canyon National Park. Park rangers say Kenney, 21, was last seen Friday night, Jan. 11, 2013 at her group's camp near Tapeats Creek on the north side of the Colorado River. Helicopter and ground crews searched the Tapeats and Deer Creek drainages, Surprise Valley and along the river all weekend. Park spokeswoman Shannan Marcak said Tuesday, Jan. 15 that with no new clues, authorities have decided to scale back the search. (AP Photo/Grand Canyon National Park)FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The mother of a Colorado woman reported missing while on a private river trip at the Grand Canyon said Wednesday that she believes her daughter fell into the water and is dead.

Obama calls for research on media in gun violence

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:26 PM PST

President Barack Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, gestures as he talks about proposals to reduce gun violence, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013, in the South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)NEW YORK (AP) — Hollywood and the video game industry received scant attention Wednesday when President Barack Obama unveiled sweeping proposals for curbing gun violence in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting.

Army's largest solar array dedicated in New Mexico

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:23 PM PST

This undated photo from the U.S. Army shows the Army's solar array at White Sands, N.M. Officials with the U.S. Army gathered Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013 at White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico to dedicate the largest of the military branch's solar photovoltaic systems. The $16.8 million array includes nearly 15,500 sun-tracking solar panels spread across 42 acres. It will be capable of producing 10 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, which is enough to meet about 10 percent of the missile range's needs. (AP Photo/U.S. Army)ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Army dedicated its largest solar energy-producing system on Wednesday at White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico.

Ex-SC Gov. Sanford done apologizing, ready to run

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:22 PM PST

FILE - In this Aug. 28, 2012 file photo, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford talks to a reporter in the floor at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. Nearly four years after his affair with an Argentine woman was exposed, Sanford plans to announce his return to politics and run for his old congressional seat on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, whose political career was derailed four years ago because of his affair with an Argentine woman, is attempting an improbable comeback.

Marine pleads guilty to urinating on corpses

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:21 PM PST

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) — A U.S. Marine pleaded guilty in a court-martial Wednesday to the bulk of the charges against him for urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters in Afghanistan and then posing for photos with the corpses.

Bears hire CFL coach Trestman to replace Smith

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:20 PM PST

FILE - In this Nov. 25, 2009 file photo, Montreal Alouettes coach Marc Trestman stands on the field at McMahon Stadium during a practice in Calgary, Alberta. The Bears have hired Trestman to replace the fired Lovie Smith, hoping he can get the most out of quarterback Jay Cutler and make Chicago a playoff team on a consistent basis. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson, File)CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears hired Montreal Alouettes coach Marc Trestman on Wednesday to replace the fired Lovie Smith and gave him two basic tasks — fix the offense and lead the team to the playoffs on a consistent basis.

AP Source: Kromer new Bears offensive coordinator

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:20 PM PST

CHICAGO (AP) — New Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman wasted little time filling out his staff after being hired on Wednesday.

US confirms Americans taken after Algeria attack

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:17 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday the U.S. "will take all necessary and proper steps" to deal with an Islamist attack on a natural gas field in southern Algeria that has resulted in Americans and other foreigners taken hostage.

A-Rod has hip surgery; recovery time 6 months

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:16 PM PST

NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Rodriguez had surgery on his left hip Wednesday and is expected to be sidelined until after the All-Star break.

Collapse of apartment building in Egypt kills 25

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:16 PM PST

Egyptians stand in rubble after an eight story building collapsed in Alexandria, Egypt, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. Egypt's official MENA news agency says two people have been killed. It was not immediately known what caused the building to collapse, but violations of building specifications have been blamed in the past for similar accidents. (AP Photo)CAIRO (AP) — An eight-story apartment building collapsed Wednesday in the port city of Alexandria, killing at least 25 people in the second deadly accident to hit the country in as many days, according to police and health officials.

UK police accused of wrongly taking DNA of gay men

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:14 PM PST

Undated image made available Wednesday Jan. 16, 2013 of Stephen Close. In 1983 Close was arrested, jailed, and expelled from of the British army for having sex with a fellow squad mate. Thirty years later, police in the English city of Manchester tracked him down and demanded that he give up a sample of his DNA. Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell says Close is one of three gay men convicted under Britain's now-defunct indecency law who have been ordered to supply their genetic material to police. (AP Photo)LONDON (AP) — In 1983, Stephen Close was arrested, jailed and expelled from the British army for having sex with a male squad mate.

Cleveland Clinic nurse accused of murder-hire plot

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:14 PM PST

This undated photo released by the Shaker Heights police department shows the booking photo of Andrew Martin. Martin, 23, of Bristolville, near Warren, Ohio, allegedly tried to resolve a house ownership fight by offering $10,000 to kill the dead owner's sister. Martin has pleaded not guilty and his trial is scheduled Feb. 7 in U.S. District Court in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Shaker Heights Police Department)LAKEWOOD, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio man hatched a plot to kill a woman he was in a home-ownership dispute with, authorities say, by approaching an emergency room patient at the renowned hospital where he worked as a nurse with the question, "Ever killed anyone?"

Reaction to Obama's gun control proposals

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:13 PM PST

From left to right: Hinna Zeejah, 8, Taejah Goode, 10, Julia Stokes, 11, and Grant Fritz, 8, who wrote letters to President Barack Obama about the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., watch as the president jokes about being left handed as he signs executive orders outlining proposals to reduce gun violence, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013, in the South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)President Barack Obama unveiled sweeping proposals to curb gun violence, including calls for Congress to pass universal background checks and an assault-weapons ban, plus 23 executive actions that don't require congressional approval. Quotes about the proposals:

Grounding of 787s adds to scrutiny of new plane

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:12 PM PST

In this photo taken by a passenger and distributed by Japan's Kyodo News, passengers leave an All Nippon Airways Boeing 787 after it made an emergency landing at Takamatsu airport in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, western Japan, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. ANA said a cockpit message showed battery problems and a burning smell was detected in the cockpit and the cabin, forcing the 787 on a domestic flight to land at the airport. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING IN CHINA, HONG KONG, JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA AND FRANCEBoeing's troubles with its newest airplane got worse on Wednesday after an emergency landing prompted Japan's two biggest airlines to ground all their 787s for safety checks.

Coordinated car bombs kill 24 in northwest Syria

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:11 PM PST

Syrian security personnel and civilians gather at the site where two explosions rocked the University of Aleppo in Syria's second largest cityBEIRUT (Reuters) - Three car bombs exploded within minutes of each other in northwest Syria on Wednesday, killing at least two dozen people in a coordinated assault on government positions, a monitoring group said. Fighting has spread throughout much of Syria and upended civilian life in many areas as rebels have pushed to uproot President Bashar al-Assad's better-equipped forces and tip the balance of the 22-month-old conflict. The World Food Programme said Syria's government had authorized it to step up food aid to some 2. ...

U.S. says has no reason to believe Syria used chemical weapons

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:11 PM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has no reason to believe Syria has used chemical weapons during its 22-month conflict with rebels seeking to end the Assad family's rule, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday. Asked if the United States had any reason to believe that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government had used chemical weapons against his own people, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters: "No." Foreign Policy magazine reported on its website on Tuesday that a previously secret U.S. diplomatic cable from the U.S. ...

Egypt's Mubarak pays back $3 million for gifts

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:10 PM PST

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010 file photo, Egypt's then President Hosni Mubarak listens to President Barack Obama, unseen, during joint statements in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Prosecutor says Egypt's ousted leader Mubarak pays back $3 million for gifts from state newspaper. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)CAIRO (AP) — Ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his family will pay back around $3 million for gifts they received from a state newspaper while he was still in office, after a settlement agreement announced by prosecutors Wednesday.

Obama is flexing his leverage on debt, immigration

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:08 PM PST

President Barack Obama, followed by Vice President Joe Biden, arrives in the South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013, to talk about proposals to reduce gun violence. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is assembling an ambitious second-term agenda, pushing aggressively where he thinks he has political leverage but moving more cautiously on issues where he has less control.

Obama administration plan for curbing gun violence

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:08 PM PST

Map shows states with mandatory or partial background checks at gun showsProposals for curbing gun violence announced Wednesday by President Barack Obama:

In avalanche education, new focus on human factors

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:06 PM PST

In this Jan. 4, 2013 photo, instructor Dave Jordan, right, teaches an avalanche safety course on Snoqualmie Pass in Washington state. Where backcountry safety education once stressed the mechanics of avalanches and snow science, training courses now incorporate a focus on human factors such as how to make better decisions, manage group dynamics and speak up should danger arise. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)SNOQUALMIE PASS, Wash. (AP) — Steve Hamill first ventured into the backcountry three years ago, drawn by a desire to be in the woods during the winter. But it was an unnerving encounter with a small avalanche that eventually drove the 52-year-old clinical engineer to a three-day course this month to learn how to survive in avalanche terrain.

Obama, Netanyahu seem headed for US-Israel clash

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 11:58 AM PST

FILE - In this July 6, 2010, file photo, President Barack Obama, right, talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they walk to Netanyahu's car outside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Obama heads into his second term weighed down not only by an American government snarled in partisan gridlock but also by a similarly unproductive relationship with the leader of Israel, the bedrock U.S. ally in the tumultuous Middle East. And the puzzle that is the U.S.-Israeli relationship under Obama and Netanyahu is only growing more complex. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's premier on Wednesday dismissed President Barack Obama's reported displeasure with his hard-line policies toward the Palestinians, a sign that the two could be headed for a showdown.

Obama unveils $500 million gun violence package

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 11:57 AM PST

From left to right: Hinna Zeejah, 8, Taejah Goode, 10, Julia Stokes, 11, and Grant Fritz, 8, who wrote letters to President Barack Obama about the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., watch as Obama signs executive orders outlining proposals to reduce gun violence, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013, in the South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)WASHINGTON (AP) — Braced for a fight, President Barack Obama on Wednesday unveiled the most sweeping proposals for curbing gun violence in two decades, pressing a reluctant Congress to pass universal background checks and bans on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines like the ones used in the Newtown, Conn., school shooting.

Interior chief Salazar to step down; Obama remakes energy team

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 11:56 AM PST

File photo of Ken Salazar and Barack Obama in ChicagoWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who helped lead the government's response to the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, said on Wednesday he will leave his post by the end of March to return to his Colorado ranch. The former U.S. senator came to office pledging to clean up the "mess" at the Interior Department, but it was the massive 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that ultimately spurred the dramatic overhaul of the nation's offshore drilling regulator. ...

Charities worry new tax law will reduce donations

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 11:53 AM PST

Chart shows U.S. donations to charities per year sinceWASHINGTON (AP) — Charities and nonprofit organizations are worried that new limits on tax deductions for high earners will hurt donations just as charitable giving is starting to rebound from the depths of the recession.

Military's largest solar array dedicated in NM

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 11:50 AM PST

This undated photo from the U.S. Army shows the Army's solar array at White Sands, N.M. Officials with the U.S. Army gathered Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013 at White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico to dedicate the largest of the military branch's solar photovoltaic systems. The $16.8 million array includes nearly 15,500 sun-tracking solar panels spread across 42 acres. It will be capable of producing 10 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, which is enough to meet about 10 percent of the missile range's needs. (AP Photo/U.S. Army)ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The military dedicated its largest solar energy-producing system on Wednesday at White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico.

Tight security, protests expected at inauguration

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 11:48 AM PST

FILE - This Jan. 18, 2009 file photo shows workers installing security barricades near Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington as preparations continue for the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. Tea Party fervor has crested and waned in the last four years, Occupy encampments are long gone from parks in the nation's capital and the crowd for President Barack Obama's second inauguration figures to be significantly smaller than the record-breaking turnout of 2009. But spectators can nonetheless expect the customary tight security, including street closures and metal detectors, long associated with the event _ not to mention protesters advocating assorted causes. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — Tea party fervor has surged and waned in the past four years, Occupy encampments are long gone from parks in the nation's capital, and the crowd for President Barack Obama's second inauguration figures to be significantly smaller than the record-breaking turnout of 2009.

U.S. confirms Americans among hostages in Algeria attack

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 11:48 AM PST

In this undated image released Wednesday Jan. 16, 2013, by BP petroleum company, showing the Amenas natural gas field in the eastern central region of Algeria, where Islamist militants raided and took hostages Wednesday Jan. 16, 2013. Islamist militants from Mali attacked the Amenas natural gas field partly operated by BP in Algeria early on Wednesday, killing a security guard and kidnapping at least eight people, including English, Norwegian and Japanese nationals, an Algerian security official and local media reported. Algerian forces, later caught up with and surrounded the kidnappers and negotiations for the release of the hostages are ongoing, officials said.(AP Photo/BP)WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday that U.S. citizens were among the hostages taken when Islamist militants raided a gas facility in Algeria and that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had telephoned Algeria's prime minister to discuss the incident. "Beyond confirming that there are Americans among the hostages, I will ask you to respect our decision not to get into any further details as we try to secure these people," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told a news briefing. ...
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