Friday, August 24, 2012

U.S. offshore oil producers brace for Storm Isaac

U.S. offshore oil producers brace for Storm Isaac

U.S. offshore oil producers brace for Storm Isaac

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 01:31 PM PDT

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Oil and gas producers in the Gulf of Mexico started preparing for Tropical Storm Isaac on Friday as its track looked to skirt the heart of the U.S. offshore energy producing zone. London-based BP Plc, the biggest U.S. Gulf producer, said it would shut down its giant Thunder Horse platform, the world's largest. Royal Dutch Shell and Apache Corp said they would evacuate some workers from their Gulf platforms with no production impacts. Other offshore drillers were likely to shut production in coming days as the storm approaches. ...

A word from Bernanke turns stocks around

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 01:30 PM PDT

FILE- In a Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012, file photo, Robert Vella, center, works with fellow traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. On Thursday Aug. 23, 2012 with prospects of the Fed helping the economy seeming less certain than the day before, stocks fell (AP Photo/Richard Drew, file)The stock market keeps getting tossed around by the Fed.

RNC demonstrators vow to protest, rain or shine

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 01:29 PM PDT

Just as Republicans are preparing for their convention next week, so are the protesters.

Armstrong's fall from grace may help cycling

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 01:27 PM PDT

FILE - This July 29, 2001 file photo shows Lance Armstrong riding past the Arc de Triomphe waving the Texas flag after he won the Tour de France cycling race, in Paris. The superstar cyclist, whose stirring victories after his comeback from cancer helped him transcend sports, chose not to pursue arbitration in the drug case brought against him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. That was his last option in his bitter fight with USADA and his decision set the stage for the titles to be stripped and his name to be all but wiped from the record books of the sport he once ruled. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)Cycling supporters say that Lance Armstrong's fall from grace may actually benefit the sport by demonstrating to potential cheaters what can happen to them if they dope.

2 killed, 9 wounded outside Empire State Building

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 01:27 PM PDT

New York City police approach the lifeless body of Jeffrey Johnson lying on a sidewalk near the Empire State Building in New York following a shooting Friday, Aug. 24, 2012. Police say 58-year-old Johnson, who was laid off from a nearby shop in 2011, shot a former colleague to death near the iconic skyscraper, then randomly opened fire on people nearby before firing on police. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said some of the victims may have been hit by police bullets as police and the gunman exchanged fire. (AP Photo/Guillermo Ratzlaff)A laid-off worker fatally shot a vice president from his former company outside the Empire State Building on Friday, setting off a chaotic showdown with police in front of one of the world's best-known landmarks. Officers killed the gunman, a women's accessories designer, and at least nine others were wounded, some by stray police gunfire, authorities said.

Democratic incumbent is content for Akin to stay

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 01:26 PM PDT

FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2012 file photo, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., talks with a supporter at the Governor's Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair. McCaskill has been clearly uncomfortable discussing Akin's plight publicly, but she has been steadfast in her insistence that he should not be forced out. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner, File)Rep. Todd Akin's staunchest defender may turn out to be his chief political rival. As the nation's top Republicans urged Akin this week to abandon his Senate race, one of the few politicians content to see him stay was the Democratic incumbent he's trying to unseat.

Akin making first appearance in Mo. since remarks

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 01:23 PM PDT

Republican Congressman Todd Akin is holding his first Missouri press conference since his U.S. Senate campaign was shaken by his remarks about rape and pregnancy. Campaign spokesman Ryan Hite says Akin is reaffirming that he will remain in the race.

Bernanke says there's room for Fed to act further

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 01:21 PM PDT

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke makes clear in a letter to a House lawmaker that he thinks the Fed can do more to bolster the economic recovery and help reduce unemployment.

Talk of US stimulus, ECB bond buy spurs stocks

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 01:21 PM PDT

US stocks rebounded from morning losses to end solidly higher Friday boosted by new hints at stimulus from the Federal Reserve and more reports on the European Central Bank's possible bond buying.

Tennis referee appears in LA to face murder charge

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 01:20 PM PDT

An attorney for a professional tennis referee accused of killing her 80-year-old husband denounced the allegations Friday and criticized Los Angeles police for arresting her in New York, where she would have been a line judge in next week's U.S. Open.

Landis agrees to repay defense fund donors

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 01:20 PM PDT

Cyclist Floyd Landis agreed Friday to repay donors nearly a half-million dollars that he raised to challenge doping allegations in an agreement with federal prosecutors that may spare him criminal charges of lying to supporters about his drug use.

Haiti hunkers down as Tropical Storm Isaac looms

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 01:18 PM PDT

Two girls wait for Isaac to arrive in Domican Republic on FridayTropical Storm gained power Friday as it roared toward Haiti with rains and high winds that could wreak havoc for people still living in makeshift shelters after a devastating 2010 earthquake.

Texas man freed after DNA clears him of 1988 rape

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 01:13 PM PDT

A man who spent more than two decades behind bars was freed Friday after DNA evidence cleared him in the rape of a 14-year-old Fort Worth girl.

Nicaragua seizes $7 million from fake journalists

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 01:11 PM PDT

Nicaragua National Police present 18 foreigners believed to be Mexican nationals who posed as Televisa journalists, in Managua, Nicaragua, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012. Police Commissioner Aminta Granera said the men posed as Televisa journalists to cover the trial of Nicaraguan businessman Henry Fariñas, survivor of an attack that killed the singer Facundo Cabral last year. The Mexican ambassador to Nicaragua confirmed that the Mexican news channel has no correspondents in Nicaragua. It is unclear why the men were posing as journalists. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)Nicaraguan police found about $7 million in smuggled cash in vans driven by people posing as members of a Mexican television news crew, National Police chief Aminta Granera announced Friday.

Texas man freed after DNA clears him of rape

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 01:10 PM PDT

A North Texas man has been freed more than two decades after he was wrongly convicted of raping a 14-year-old Fort Worth girl.

Teen arraigned, jailed in Pa. newborn abduction

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 01:07 PM PDT

This undated photo provided by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, shows Breona Moore, of of McKeesport, Pa., who was arraigned Friday, Aug. 24, 2012, on charges she kidnapped a 3-day-old infant from Magee-Women's Hospital of UPMC. The newborn was found with Moore on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012 and was reunited with his parents unharmed. Moore remains jailed unable to post $250,000 bond and was ordered to undergo a mental evaluation by a city court judge. (AP Photo/ Pittsburgh Bureau of Police)A 19-year-old woman who falsely claimed to be pregnant was arraigned Friday on charges she kidnapped a 3-day-old infant from a hospital after pretending to be a nurse and sneaking the baby boy out inside a zippered handbag, police said.

Prosecutors: Aurora suspect made threat in March

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 01:05 PM PDT

Newly filed court records allege that the man accused of opening fire on an Aurora movie theater told a classmate he wanted to kill people four months before the shooting.

Wozniacki retires with knee injury at New Haven

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:59 PM PDT

Caroline Wozniacki, of Denmark, speaks with reporters after retiring from her semifinal match, after losing the first set 7-5, against Maria Kirilenko, of Russia, at the New Haven Open tennis tournament in New Haven, Conn., on Friday, Aug. 24, 2012. A right knee injury suffered in the quarterfinals forced the retirement. (AP Photo/Fred Beckham)Caroline Wozniacki's 20-match winning streak in New Haven ended Friday when the four-time defending champion retired from her semifinal match with Maria Kirilenko with a knee injury.

US court rejects graphic cigarette warnings

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:57 PM PDT

A US court on Friday shot down orders to slap graphic anti-tobacco messages on cigarette packs, saying the government overstepped its authority by trying to "browbeat" smokers into quitting.

Lawyer in Bieber case fights anti-paparazzi law

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:53 PM PDT

FILE - In this June 11, 2012 file photo, pop star Justin Bieber poses for photos prior to a press conference at a hotel in Mexico City. The attorney for a paparazzo charged under a new California law aimed at curtailing the dangerous pursuit of celebrities for photos said Friday, Aug. 24, 2012, that he is challenging the law's constitutionality. Paul Raef was charged with four counts stemming from a July 6, 2012 freeway pursuit of Bieber by photographers. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini, File)A paparazzo charged with recklessly pursuing Justin Bieber for photos will challenge the constitutionality of the law targeting aggressive celebrity-hounding tactics, his attorney said Friday.

PR consultant: More Harry material may emerge soon

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:51 PM PDT

FILE- Britain's Prince Harry watches track cycling during the 2012 Summer Olympics, in this file photo dated Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012, in London. Nude photographs of Prince Harry in a Las Vegas, USA, hotel room are published on the Internet Wednesday Aug. 22, 2012, and now security experts are wondering whether the Scotland Yard officers who are assigned to keep the 27-year-old royal safe from harm, might have done a better job of keeping him out of trouble. The photos available on the Internet and not taken by Photographers' long lenses but are up close and personal. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)Brace yourself, Harry.

Texas man freed after DNA clears him of 1989 rape

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:50 PM PDT

A man who spent more than two decades behind bars was freed Friday after DNA evidence cleared him in the rape of a 14-year-old Fort Worth girl.

Photographed doc lays out Assange police tactics

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:50 PM PDT

A document is held by an unidentified British police officer, which outlines that A confidential document photographed by Britain's Press Association news agency lays out Scotland Yard's simple strategy for dealing with Julian Assange should he ever try to leave Ecuador's Embassy in London.

Solly the hippo dies in South Africa rescue effort

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:49 PM PDT

A hippo is lifted from a swimming pool Friday Aug. 24, 2012, at the Monate Conservation Lodge, near Modimolle, South Africa, after being trapped there for three days. The young hippo had plunged into the deep pool on Tuesday after being chased off from his herd by male members seeking dominance, wandered into the lodge's camp and fell into the pool. The animal died just before the rescue operation got under way. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)What started out as a day of hope for Solly the hippo turned to tragedy when rescuers were unable to save the 3-ton beast from the swimming pool he plunged into after being chased from his herd.

Armstrong gets support from fellow riders

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:47 PM PDT

FILE - In this July 24, 2004, file photo, overall leader Lance Armstrong, right, of Austin, Texas, follows compatriot and teammate Floyd Landis, left, in the ascent of the La Croix Fry pass during the 17th stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Bourg-d'Oisans and Le Grand Bornand, French Alps. Armstrong, whose stirring victories after his comeback from cancer helped him transcend sports, chose not to pursue arbitration in the drug case brought against him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. That was his last option in his bitter fight with USADA and his decision set the stage for the titles to be stripped and his name to be all but wiped from the record books of the sport he once ruled. (AP Photo/Bernard Papon, Pool, File)Lance Armstrong received plenty of support from fellow riders Friday.

11 hit in Empire State Building shoot-out

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:47 PM PDT

A laid-off designer of women's accessories gunned down a former co-worker outside New York's Empire State Building before being killed by police in a rush hour shoot-out Friday that wounded nine others.

'Drugstore cowboy' author dies in Wash. Prison

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:45 PM PDT

James Fogle, who wrote "Drugstore Cowboy," an autobiographical crime novel that led to an acclaimed 1989 film starring Matt Dillon, has died. He was 75.

Jimmie Johnson stayed silent out of frustration

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:45 PM PDT

Jimmie Johnson said Friday he was too frustrated to speak to reporters following his engine failure at Michigan.

1999 Tour podium finisher says Armstrong remains champion

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:43 PM PDT

ALCANIZ, Spain (Reuters) - Spain's Fernando Escartin, who will rise from third to second in the 1999 Tour de France if Lance Armstrong is stripped of his seven victories in the race, said the American would always be the champion. "For me Lance Armstrong remains the 1999 Tour winner, second Zulle and third me," the now-retired Escartin told Reuters at the Vuelta a Espana race on Friday. "It's 13 years now since this all happened, it seems completely illogical and unreal. I don't want to even think about it. ...

Missouri woes are latest for GOP in Senate quest

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:42 PM PDT

FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2012 file photo, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., talks with a supporter at the Governor's Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair. McCaskill has been clearly uncomfortable discussing Akin's plight publicly, but she has been steadfast in her insistence that he should not be forced out. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner, File)It's not just Todd Akin. The fallout from the Missouri Senate candidate's "legitimate rape" comment was the latest signal that the Republican path to the majority in the Senate may have just gotten tougher.

Caged tigers stuck on Paraguay border for 2 months

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:37 PM PDT

Imagine being stuck in a cage for two months while going through customs. That's the border limbo that 16 tigers have faced in Paraguay because Argentine officials refuse to approve their paperwork for entry.

Diplomats: Iran shrouds suspected nuclear site

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:36 PM PDT

Herman Nackaerts, Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, centre left, and Iran's Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh speak to journalists after their talks at the permanent mission of Iran in Vienna, Austria, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Hans Punz)Iran has shrouded a building that the U.N. nuclear agency suspects was used for secret work on atomic weapons, meaning spy satellites can no longer monitor Tehran's alleged efforts to clean up the site, diplomats told The Associated Press on Friday.

U.S. Anti-Doping Agency strips Armstrong of titles for cheating

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:31 PM PDT

File photo of seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong awaiting the start of the 2010 Cape Argus Cycle Tour in Cape Town(Reuters) - Lance Armstrong was stripped of his record seven Tour de France wins and handed a lifetime ban by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on Friday but remained defiant as ever, as supporters rallied around the American cyclist. Saying, "enough is enough", Armstrong sent out a statement late on Thursday indicating that he would not challenge USADA's charges he had doped throughout his career while continuing to deny he ever used performance-enhancing drugs. ...

AP Exclusive: Romney uses secretive data-mining

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:28 PM PDT

FILE - In this Aug. 18, 2012 file photo, Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gets into his car to attend a fundraising event on Saturday, Aug. 18, 2012 in Nantucket, Mass. The unprecedented success of Romney to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in the costliest presidential race ever can be traced in part to a secretive data-mining project that sifts through Americans' personal information _ including their purchasing history and church attendance _ to identify new and likely, wealthy donors, The Associated Press has learned. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)Building upon its fundraising prowess, Mitt Romney's campaign began a secretive data-mining project this summer to trove through Americans' personal information — including their purchasing history and church attendance — to identify new and likely wealthy donors, The Associated Press has learned.

Analysts cut 2012 PC, chip shipment forecasts

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:27 PM PDT

What once looked like a good year for computers and chips has now fizzled, say researchers.

Pakistan imam accuses Christian girl of 'conspiracy'

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:19 PM PDT

Police arrested the girl, Rimsha, who reportedly has Down's Syndrome, in a low-income area of the capitalA Pakistani cleric who handed over a young Christian girl to police on blasphemy charges after she burned papers containing Koranic verses said Friday what she did was a "conspiracy" to insult Muslims.

Most laid-off US workers take pay cuts in new jobs

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:19 PM PDT

The U.S. economic recovery hasn't felt much like one even for people who managed to find new jobs after being laid off. Most of them have had to settle for less pay.

Gulf of Mexico oil companies start evacuations

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:19 PM PDT

Oil companies are evacuating some Gulf of Mexico oil rigs in advance of Tropical Storm Isaac.

Residents relax as fire threat abates in N. Calif.

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:17 PM PDT

Fire crews drop water unto the Ponderosa Fire from a helicopter near Mineral, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012. The Ponderosa Fire was 57 percent contained, with full containment expected early next week. The blaze threatened 900 other homes Thursday as it burned a new front to the south. More than 2,500 firefighters are battling the wildfire, which grew to 44 square miles in the hills about 25 miles southeast of Redding. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)Residents of a tiny mountain town breathed easier Friday after air tankers and helicopters blunted the run of a massive wildfire in Northern California just outside Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Two US embassy employees shot in Mexico: official

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:14 PM PDT

Two US embassy employees were shot and wounded when their car came under fire south of Mexico City on Friday, an official from the attorney general's office told AFP.
Posted by Harshad at 1:46 PM

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