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Official: Suicide bomber kills 14 at Russian train station - CNN Posted: 29 Dec 2013 08:45 AM PST STORY HIGHLIGHTS NEW: Putin expresses his sorrow to victims and families Russia authorities say preliminary information points to a female suicide bomber Video appears to show explosion inside the main doors to the station Bomber reportedly was approaching metal detector when attack occurred Moscow (CNN) -- A massive explosion at a train station in the Russian city of Volgograd killed at least 14 people, including one police officer, the Investigative Committee of Russia said on its website Sunday. The head of the committee, Vladimir Markin, said 14 people had been killed and 34 people were injured, including a 9-year-old girl. The female suicide bomber set off the device before she could pass through a metal detector, Markin said, citing available information. He said the bomber used the equivalent of 10 kilograms of TNT and included shrapnel. Video taken from an outside security camera shows a huge fireball inside what appears to be the main entrance followed by a steady trail of smoke coming out shattered windows. The bombing occurred at about 12:45 p.m. local time (3:45 a.m. ET), officials said. President Vladimir Putin posted a message on the Kremlin's website sending his condolences to the family of those killed and wishing a quick recovery to those hurt. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ordered the emergency and health ministries to provide "all necessary assistance" to the wounded. It is the second bombing in the southern Russian city in two months and comes less than six weeks ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, located less than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Volgograd. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. "There can be no justification for such barbarous attacks." said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. "NATO and Russia stand together in the fight against terrorism., including by working together on technology to prevent attacks on public transport systems." A White House spokeswoman said, "Our hearts go out to the victims and their families." In October, a bomber blew up a passenger bus, killing six people and wounding more than 30 others. Russian media reported that a female Islamist suicide bomber from the Russian region of Dagestan was responsible for the attack. Volgograd, once called Stalingrad, is a major rail hub in the region, and each day thousands of passengers pass through the station, many on their way to Moscow. The restive region of Chechnya is also located in this southern portion of Russia. CNN's Diana Magnay contributed to this report 0 Comments » SHARE THIS Print Email More sharing

Congress, in bipartisan tone, disputes report Al Qaeda not involved in deadly ... - Fox News Posted: 29 Dec 2013 08:04 AM PST House lawmakers on Sunday disputed a new report that concludes Al Qaeda played no role in the fatal 2012 terror attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. The report, published Saturday in The New York Times, found no evidence that Al Qaeda or other international terrorist groups had a role in the assault that killed four Americans on Sept. 11, 2012, and that it appeared that the attack was fueled in large part by anger at an American-made anti-Islamic video, as the Obama administration first claimed. "I dispute that, and the intelligence community, to a large volume, disputes that," Michigan GOP Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told "Fox News Sunday."   He also repeatedly said the story was "not accurate." Rogers was joined on the show by California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, who said, "intelligence indicates Al Qaeda was involved." The findings in the New York Times story also conflict with testimony from Greg Hicks, the deputy of Ambassador Christopher Stevens, who was killed in the attack. Hicks described the video as "a non-event in Libya" at that time, and consequently not a significant trigger for the attack Sean Smith, a foreign service officer, and former Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were also killed in the 2012 attack. The responses by Rogers and Schiff Sunday follow New York Rep. Peter King, member and former chairman of the House's Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, telling Fox News on Saturday the argument in the Times story that the militia group Ansar al-Shariah -- not Al Qaeda -- led the Benghazi attack is an academic argument over semantics. "It's misleading," said King, considering Ansar al-Shariah is widely believed to be an affiliate terror group of Al Qaeda. "It's a distinction without a difference." Schiff, a House Intelligence Committee member, said the story doesn't conclude the attack was a flash mob attack or a "pre-planned, core Al Qaeda operation." Rogers declined to say whether he thought the recent Benghazi-related stories on TV and in print were politically motivated -- particularly to try to exonerate then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is eyeing a 2016 presidential bid.  But he took issue with Ambassador Susan Rice talking about the incident when Congress "still has an ongoing investigation." Schiff said the newspaper report "was not designed to exonerate State Department lapses."

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1.3 million to lose unemployment benefits as Obama pushes for aid extension - Fox News Posted: 28 Dec 2013 08:58 AM PST Dec. 25, 2013: President Barack Obama speaks to members of the military and their families in Anderson Hall at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.AP The nation's long-term unemployed will be cut off from federal unemployment benefits on Saturday, even as President Obama offers his support to two senators proposing to extend expiring federal jobless aid.   Republican Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada and Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island have proposed extending for three months benefits that more than 1 million Americans will lose. Obama called the two senators separately on Friday, describing it as an urgent economic priority.    "This morning, the President placed separate telephone calls to Senator Jack Reed and Senator Dean Heller to offer his support for their proposal to extend emergency unemployment benefits for three months," White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement.  "The President said his administration would, as it has for several weeks now, push Congress to act promptly and in bipartisan fashion to address this urgent economic priority." Obama says the abrupt cut-off in cash assistance during the holidays will hurt economic growth and jobs. Economic adviser to the president Gene Sperling says the Senate will hold a vote on the proposal as soon as Congress returns next month. An estimated 1.3 million people will be cut off when the federally funded unemployment payments end Saturday. Some 214,000 Californians will lose their payments, a figure expected to rise to more than a half-million by June, the Labor Department said. In the last 12 months, Californians received $4.5 billion in federal jobless benefits, much if plowed back into the local economy. More than 127,000 New Yorkers also will be cut off this weekend. In New Jersey, 11th among states in population, 90,000 people will immediately lose out. Started under President George W. Bush, the benefits were designed as a cushion for the millions of U.S. citizens who lost their jobs in a recession and failed to find new ones while receiving state jobless benefits, which in most states expire after six months. Another 1.9 million people across the country are expected to exhaust their state benefits before the end of June. Republicans and some Democrats will likely want to make sure that any proposal to extend federal unemployment benefits is paid for. Many of them look at signs of economic growth and an unemployment rate now down to 7 percent and expected to drop further as evidence the additional weeks of benefits are no longer necessary. The effect of jobless benefits on the unemployment rates has been fiercely debated for decades. To qualify, people have to be seeking work. Conservative lawmakers such as Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky argue that the payments aggravate rather than relieve unemployment. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

US Court Rules NSA Mass Surveillance As Lawful; ACLU To Appeal Judgment - International Business Times Posted: 28 Dec 2013 08:46 AM PST U.S. District Judge William Pauley's judgment comes just days after another federal judge ruled that PRISM, the NSA's mass surveillance program, could be unconstitutional. In the 54-page opinion, issued in New York, Pauley said that the agency's mass surveillance program "represents the government's counterpunch" to terror threats and such measures will help in "connecting fragmented and fleeting communications to reconstruct and eliminate al-Qaeda's terror network."   "This blunt tool only works because it collects everything," Pauley, a former President Bill Clinton appointee, wrote. "Technology allowed al-Qaeda to operate decentralized and plot international terrorist attacks remotely. The bulk telephony metadata collection program represents the government's counterpunch," he added, according to a Reuters report. He dismissed a petition filed by the American Civil Liberties Union challenging the constitutionality of NSA's indiscriminate data-collection program, which was revealed in June following the disclosures made by former defense contractor Edward Snowden. "There is no evidence that the government has used any of the bulk telephony metadata it collected for any purpose other than investigating and disrupting terrorist attacks," Pauley wrote, adding that "there have been unintentional violations of guidelines, those appear to stem from human error and the incredibly complex computer programs that support this vital tool."   Pauley's judgment contrasts with U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon's Dec. 16, ruling that PRISM likely violates the Fourth Amendment's ban on unreasonable search and seizure. Leon, appointed by former President George W. Bush, had granted a preliminary injunction against the collecting of phone records. The judge had described the NSA's widespread collection of telephone calls made in or to the U.S. as an "arbitrary invasion" of the lives of its own private citizens. Two differing judgments from the district courts could take the issue first to an appealing court and eventually before the U.S. Supreme Court. The ACLU said it plans to appeal the decision. "We are extremely disappointed with this decision, which misinterprets the relevant statutes, understates the privacy implications of the government's surveillance, and misapplies a narrow and outdated precedent to read away core constitutional protections," Jameel Jaffer, ACLU deputy legal director said. "As another federal judge and the president's own review group concluded last week, the National Security Agency's bulk collection of telephony data constitutes a serious invasion of Americans' privacy." Public Flood Twitter With "Traitor" Pauley Tweets The Friday's judgment also angered sections of public who took it to the social networking sites calling the judge a "traitor."  Critics of NSA's mass spying policy vented their anger by flooding twitter, Facebook and other networking sites with angry tweets and posts. "U.S. District Judge William Pauley has abandoned his oath of office to uphold the Constitution and is a traitor to the American people," a user with the twitter handle @cypherdivine tweeted. "Judge Wm. Pauley "Another Appointed Hack/Traitor" rules in NSA Favor. What else would you expect?!" another tweet by Robert K Martin read. "Since 9/11 apparently means we don't have any freedoms any more, can we at least formally repeal the Bill of Rights? A tweet by Chris Adamson ‏@invalidname read.

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Beirut bombing kills ex-ambassador to US - USA TODAY Posted: 27 Dec 2013 08:57 AM PST Flames blaze from vehicles at the scene of an explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday.(Photo: Bilal Hussein, AP) Story Highlights Former Lebanese ambassador to the U.S. Mohammed Chatah died in the blast Five others were killed and more than 70 wounded The Syrian civil war has spilled violence into Lebanon BEIRUT (AP) — A powerful car bomb tore through a business district in the center of the Lebanese capital Friday, killing a prominent pro-Western politician and at least five other people in an assassination certain to hike sectarian tensions already soaring because of the civil war in neighboring Syria. The blast, which wounded more than 70 others, set cars ablaze, shredded trees and shattered windows in a main street of the posh downtown Beirut area of five-star hotels, luxury high-rises and high-end boutiques. It sent a pall of thick black smoke above the nearby government headquarters and the seafront. The bomb targeted the car of Mohammed Chatah, a former finance minister and a senior aide to former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, security officials said. Chatah, his driver and four others were killed, the National News Agency said. Hariri, a Sunni politician, heads the main, Western-backed coalition in Lebanon, which is engaged in bitter feuding with the militant Shiite Hezbollah group, a top ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The bombing recalled a string of assassinations of members of the anti-Syrian Hariri camp between 2004 and 2008, the biggest of which was the massive suicide bombing in 2005 in downtown Beirut — not far from the site of Friday's blast — that killed Hariri's father, Rafik, also a former prime minister. Hariri's allies accused Syria of being behind the killings, a claim Damascus denied. Friday's blast came less than three weeks before the trial for those suspected in Rafik Hariri's assassination was set to begin. Five Hezbollah members have been indicted for alleged involvement in the killing. Hezbollah rejects the accusations, and has refused to hand over the suspects. Saad Hariri indirectly blamed Hezbollah for Chatah's assassination. In a statement, he accused "the ones who run away from international justice and refuse to appear before the international tribunal." More recently, the country has seen a wave of violence as Lebanon's Sunni and Shiite communities line up with their brethren on opposing sides in Syria's civil war. That has fueled predictions that Lebanon, still recovering from its 15-year civil war that ended in 1990, is on the brink of descending into full-blown sectarian violence. There has been a series of bombings in districts dominated by Hezbollah, apparently in retaliation for its decision to send guerrillas to fight alongside Assad's forces against rebels, as well as twin car bombings in Tripoli, Lebanon's largest city and a Sunni stronghold. There have also been repeated clashes between Sunnis — who largely back Syria's rebels — and Shiites and Alawites who back Assad. The last such assassination in Lebanon was in Oct. 19, 2012, when a car bomb assassinated Lebanon's top intelligence chief, Wissam al-Hassan. Al-Hassan, a member of Hariri's security circle, was a powerful opponent of Syria's influence in Lebanon and many here blamed his killing on Syria. The Friday morning blast was heard across the city, shattering the calm of the downtown commercial district. Chatah was on the way to a meeting at Hariri's downtown residence when the bomb it, security officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. The bomb car, apparently parked on his route and detonated by remote control, was rigged with up to 132 pounds of explosives. "We heard an explosion that shook us like an earthquake," said Wajdi Abdul-Khaliq, a foreman at a nearby construction site. The man said he ran out of the site and saw the wounded in the street, including a woman in her car who lost her hand. The army cordoned off the area to prevent people from getting close to the scene, where the twisted wreckage of several cars was still smoldering. The Health Ministry said more than 70 people were wounded. The 62-year-old Chatah was a prominent economist who once worked at the International Monetary Fund in the U.S. and later served as Lebanese ambassador to the U.S. He was one of the closest aides of Rafik Hariri. He later became finance minister when Saad took over the premiership, and stayed on as his senior adviser after he lost the post in early 2011. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati denounced the assassination, "which targeted a political and moderate figure who believed in dialogue, the language of reason and logic and the right to different opinions." Hariri, in his statement, said those behind the assassination are "the same ones who are opening the doors of evil and chaos into Lebanon" and "brought regional fires to our country," in a clear reference to Hezbollah's participation in Syria's civil war. Hezbollah's strongly denounced the assassination, saying it serves "the enemies of Lebanon." Hariri's 2005 assassination sparked massive demonstrations that eventually led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, following nearly three decades of military presence and domination of its smaller neighbor. Chatah was a moderate Sunni politician who opposed Hezbollah and Assad. His last tweet, posted an hour before Friday's explosion, read: "Hezbollah is pressing hard to be granted similar powers in security & foreign policy matters that Syria exercised in Lebanon for 15 yrs." Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Americans Still Pessimistic About Economy - TIME Posted: 27 Dec 2013 07:36 AM PST Never mind a stock market breaking records and an unemployment rate inching down: Americans still think this economy stinks. That's according to a new CNN poll out Friday, which found almost 70 percent of respondents think the economy is in bad shape, while only 32 percent think things are good. More than half of Americans don't think conditions will improve next year, according to the poll. The economy has seen marked improvements in recent weeks. Stocks have surged, unemployment is the lowest it's been in five years, gas prices have dropped and even the housing market is recovering. But the long-term unemployed or under-employed continue to cut back. The poll found 36 percent were reining in spending on food or medicine, a five-percent increase from 2008, during the height of housing market crash. Those who viewed the economy negatively are mostly rural residents, according to the poll. The poll surveyed 1,035 Americans by telephone between Dec. 16 and 19, with a sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points. [CNN]

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Business Times : latest Posted: http://www.btimes.com.my enFriday, December 27, 2013, 10.39 AMhttp://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227111120/Article/ http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227111120/Article/Fri, 27 Dec 2013 11:11:20 +0800The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) hit a new intra-day high of 1,855.62, up 11.52 points at 10.33am, lifted by window dressing activities in selective bluechip and heavyweights, an analyst said. Mercury Securities head of research Edmund Tham said the uptrend on the FBM KLCI did not reflect the broader market as the total trading volume was low and buying was more focus on index-linked counters. "Its selective window dressing in bluechips and key-heavyweights, not the whole market," he told Bernama. The previous intra-day high was recorded on December 17 at 1,861.94.-- Bernama http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227100258/Article/ http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227100258/Article/Fri, 27 Dec 2013 10:03:00 +0800At 10.30am today, there were 277 gainers, 163 losers and 262 counters traded unchanged on the Bursa Malaysia. The FBM-KLCI was at 1,854.70 up 10.60 points, the FBMACE was at 5,617.86 up 27.79 points, and the FBMEmas was at 12,768.42 up 61.85 points. Turnover was at 278.733 million shares valued at RM223.456 million.-- Bernama http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227100606/Article/ http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227100606/Article/Fri, 27 Dec 2013 10:06:07 +0800Shares on Bursa Malaysia opened slightly lower this morning but rose thereafter, extending its uptrend from yesterday, dealers said. At 9.22am, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) stood at 1,844.57, up 0.47 of-a-point, after opening 0.14 of-a-point easier at 1,843.96. HwangDBS Vickers Research said continuing from where it left off yesterday, Bursa Malaysia could maintain the rising momentum. "After posting an 8.6-points to overcome the immediate resistance line of 1,840 on 'Boxing Day', the benchmark FBM KLCI is poised to challenge its all-time peak of 1,851.94 before advancing towards the next resistance target of 1,860 ahead," it said in a research note today. Overseas, Wall Street continued to rise in overnight trade, with key stock indices gaining between 0.3 per cent and 0.7 per cent to finish at new record levels as jobless claims fell. On the local scoreboard, the Finance Index lost 5.85 points to 16,901.82, the Industrial Index slipped 0.98 of-a-point to 3,133.74 but the Plantation Index gained 27.08 points to 8,788.78. The FBM Emas Index added 5.149 points to 12,711.72, the FBMT100 Index increased 1.5 points to 12,445.38, the FBM Ace firmed 21.57 points to 5,611.64 while the FBM 70 dropped 4.87 points to 14,047.72. Gainers led losers 142 to 101 while 146 counters were unchanged, 1,172 untraded, and 33 others were suspended. Turnover stood at 120.07 million shares worth RM46.98 million. Among actives, Hubline, Nextnation Communication and Talam Transform added half-a-sen each to five sen, eight sen and seven sen, respectively, Xideland climbed one sen to 39 sen and TH Heavy Engineering gained three sen to 88 sen. Of heavyweights, Tenaga added four sen to RM11.18, CIMB gained three sen to RM7.65, Maybank lost two sen to RM10.02 and Sime Darby shed three sen to RM9.44 while Axiata was unchanged at RM6.80.-- Bernama http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227101118/Article/ http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227101118/Article/Fri, 27 Dec 2013 10:11:18 +0800The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives was traded higher in early trade, riding on the cash market's bullish momentum. At 9.33am, spot month December 2013 added two points to 1,850.5, January 2014 advanced four points to 1,855.5, March 2014 gained 3.5 points to 1,853 and June 2014 improved 2.5 points to 1,846. Turnover amounted to 2,753 lots while open interest stood at 49,090 contracts. The underlying FBM KLCI was 3.09 points higher at 1,847.19 after 33 minutes of trading.-- Bernama http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227101453/Article/ http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227101453/Article/Fri, 27 Dec 2013 10:14:53 +0800The ringgit opened slightly higher against the US dollar on renewed appetite, dealers said. At 9am, the ringgit was quoted at 3.2950/2980 to a dollar from Thursday's 3.2960/2990. A dealer said growing optimism over the recovery of the United States economy, the world's largest, sparked buying interest for the greenback and this helped spur some positive sentiment towards riskier assets like the ringgit. Meanwhile, the local unit was mixed against other major currencies. It appreciated against the Singapore dollar to 2.5953/5993 from 2.5996/5021 on Thursday and rose vis-a-vis the yen to 3.1402/1442 from 3.1459/1500 yesterday. However, against the British pound, the domestic unit depreciated to 5.4110/4170 from 5.3975/3041 and weakened versus the euro to 4.5161/5212 from 4.5109/5157 on Thursday.-- Bernama http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227101743/Article/ http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227101743/Article/Fri, 27 Dec 2013 10:17:43 +0800The physical price of gold as at 9.30am stood at RM124.11 per gramme, up 43 sen from RM123.68 at 5pm yesterday.-- Bernama http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227102037/Article/ http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227102037/Article/Fri, 27 Dec 2013 10:20:37 +0800Short-term interbank rates are likely to remain stable today following Bank Negara Malaysia's intervention to absorb excess liquidity from the financial system. The central bank estimated today's liquidity at RM29.188 billion in the conventional system and RM6.776 billion in Islamic funds. Bank Negara will conduct a RM7 billion range maturity auction tender for three days to 90 days, as well as, a RM300 million and RM750 million repo tender for 31 days and 90 days, respectively. It will also call for two Al-Wadiah tenders comprising RM1.2 billion for seven days and RM300 million for 14 days. At4pm, the central bank will conduct up to RM21.1 billion in conventional overnight tenders and a RM5.6 billion Al-Wadiah overnight tender.-- Bernama http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227102339/Article/ http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227102339/Article/Fri, 27 Dec 2013 10:23:39 +0800Gold futures contract extended gains to open higher on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives as fresh buying interest emerged, dealers said. At 9.20am, December 2013 was nine ticks better at RM128.15 sen a gramme, January 2014 went up 10 ticks to RM128.50 sen a gramme, February 2014 climbed eight ticks to RM128.80 sen while March 2014, April 2014 and June were untraded at RM128.40 sen agramme, respectively. Turnover stood at 28 lots while open interest amounted to 1,513 contracts.-- Bernama http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227103959/Article/ http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227103959/Article/Fri, 27 Dec 2013 10:39:59 +0800NEW YORK: Oil prices rose Thursday on concerns about output in conflict-wracked South Sudan and the latest round of improving US economic data. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for February delivery rose 33 cents to US$99.55 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. European benchmark Brent oil for February delivery increased 8 cents to US$111.98 a barrel on the Intercontinental Exchange in London. Volume on electronic exchanges was low due to the Boxing Day holiday, which closed major markets in London. Traders have been keeping an eye on developments in South Sudan, which has been rocked by a wave of deadly ethnic violence. Analysts say the conflict threatens oil output in South Sudan, where some oilfield staff has been evacuated. Robert Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho Securities, said South Sudan usually exports about 220,000 barrels a day to Japan, Malaysia and China. The UN Security Council said Thursday it was hurrying to deploy reinforcements to its peacekeeping force in the country, as neighbouring states Kenya and Ethiopia try to broker a solution to the crisis. Oil also gained after a Department of Labor report showed first-time claims for unemployment benefits fell to 338,000, below the 350,000 forecast by analysts. The better jobless claims report came on the heels of other recent strong US data on third-quarter growth, durable goods orders and other items that suggest a healthier economy. "The improving US economy and signs the global economy is steady has been driving prices higher," said Gene McGillian, broker and analyst at Tradition Energy. Markets are eyeing the weekly report on US oil inventories, which is delayed until Friday due to the Christmas holidays. Analysts expect a decline in stocks of 2.2 million barrels, according to a survey by the Wall Street Journal.-- AFP http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227103200/Article/ http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20131227103200/Article/Fri, 27 Dec 2013 10:32:00 +0800NEW YORK: US stock markets Thursday continued their bull run of 2013, closing at fresh records after a strong US unemployment report. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shot up 122.33 (0.75 per cent) to 16,479.88, finishing at a record high for the sixth straight session. The SandP 500, closing at a record high for the fourth straight session, added 8.70 (0.47 per cent) at 1,842.02. The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index increased 11.76 (0.28 per cent) to 4,167.18. The latest record came after US Labor Department data showed first-time claims for unemployment benefits fell to 338,000 from an adjusted 380,000 the previous week. Analysts had projected that 350,000 claims would be filed. Other better-than-expected economic news in recent days has increased confidence in the US outlook after the Federal Reserve announced on December 18 it was scaling back its bond-buying programme. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury bond hit 3.0 per cent earlier Thursday before retreating. Higher yields sometimes crimp enthusiasm for equities, but the recent rise has been gradual, said Michael Gayed, chief investment strategist at Pension Partners. "If you have a spike in yields, it is a negative," Gayed said. "But as the yields are gradually going higher despite the Fed tapering, that means there is a growing sense of confidence that the stocks market does not need the Fed as much." Online retailer Amazon gained 1.3 per cent after reporting that subscriptions to its Amazon Prime two-day shipping programme jumped in December ahead of Christmas and now counts tens of millions of members worldwide. Amazon characterized the 2013 holiday shopping season as its best ever. Shipping company UPS advanced 0.2 per cent despite criticism after it missed some Christmas deadlines for gift-package delivery due to an unexpectedly large volume. Rival FedEx, which appeared to have somewhat fewer problems, rose 0.9 per cent. BlackBerry shed 8.7 per cent after co-founders Michael Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin disclosed they were selling a large percentage of their shares in the embattled smart-phone maker. Telecom company Sprint rose 3.1 per cent following a report that its parent SoftBank is in talks to purchase US wireless company T-Mobile. T-Mobile rose 2.3 per cent. Bond prices slipped. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury rose to 2.99 per cent from 2.98 per cent after breaching the 3.00 per cent level earlier in the session. The 30-year increased to 3.92 per cent from 3.90 per cent. Bond prices and yields move inversely.-- AFP

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Avoiding health insurance gaps takes persistence - Charlotte Observer Posted: 24 Dec 2013 11:03 PM PST CHICAGO The deadline has passed, and so too the surprise grace period, for signing up for health insurance as part of the nation's health care law. Now what? For those who were able to navigate the glitch-prone and often overwhelmed HealthCare.gov website, there's still work to be done to make sure success online leads to actual coverage come the new year. The first step experts recommend is to call your insurance company and double-check they received your payment. What if you missed the Christmas Eve deadline and still want insurance in 2014, as the health law requires of most Americans? You may be without health insurance for a month, but you can still sign up for coverage that will start in February. "Be patient, because they're trying to help you," said Tina Stewart, a 25-year-old graduate student in Salt Lake City who succeeded in enrolling in a health plan Tuesday morning. "It will take time." The historic changes made by the Affordable Care Act take full effect on Jan. 1. People with chronic health conditions can no longer be denied health insurance. Those who get sick and start piling up medical bills will no longer lose their coverage. Out-of-pocket limits arrive that are designed to protect patients from going bankrupt. But unless the 1 million Americans who have so far enrolled for coverage via the new marketplaces make sure their applications have arrived at their new insurance companies without errors, some may find they're still uninsured when they try to refill a prescription or make a doctor's appointment. "The enrollment files have been getting better and more accurate, but there is still work that needs to be done," said Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade group that represents the private insurance industry. "The health plans are still having to go back and fix some of data errors coming through in these files." If everything went smoothly, consumers can expect to see a welcome packet arrive in the mail from their insurance company, Zirkelbach said. If not, a phone call to the insurer might clear things up. "If a consumer signed up yesterday, they shouldn't expect the health plan to have their enrollment application today," Zirkelbach said. "Allow a couple of days to receive and process those enrollments." Paying the first premium is crucial. Because of the changing deadlines for enrollment, most insurers have agreed to allow payments through Jan. 10 and will make coverage retroactive to Jan. 1, he said. Anyone who missed the Christmas Eve deadline to enroll for insurance to start in January can still apply at HealthCare.gov for coverage to begin later. The federal website serves 36 states, but also directs people elsewhere to the online insurance site serving their state. The site also offers directions to local agencies offering in-person help. After the disastrous rollout in October, the federal website received 2 million visits on Monday, and heavy — but not as heavy — traffic on Tuesday. White House spokeswoman Tara McGuinness said she had no immediate estimate of visitors Tuesday or how many succeeded in obtaining insurance before the midnight Christmas Eve deadline. The unexpected one-day grace period was just the latest in a string of delays and reversals. Unless you qualify for Medicaid, you'll pay a monthly "premium" fee to an insurance company for coverage. Before the company covers actual medical costs, you may have to pay a certain amount called a deductible, in addition to a possible set fee for a doctor visit (copay) or a percentage of the cost of a medical service (coinsurance). Federal tax credits are aimed at helping make premiums more affordable for households earning between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty line. That's $11,490 to $45,960 for an individual, $23,550 to $94,200 for a family of four. Finally, note the next significant deadline isn't for a few more months. If you don't have coverage by March 31, you'll pay a tax penalty next year of $95 or 1 percent of your income, whichever is higher. Ron Pollack, president of Families USA, a liberal advocacy group that has led efforts to get uninsured people signed up for coverage next year, said that's the deadline that matters most. "The real significant deadline is March 31," Pollack said. "The enrollment period extends for another three months."

American Held by Al Qaeda in Pakistan Asks Obama to Negotiate Release - New York Times Posted: 26 Dec 2013 08:45 AM PST By SALMAN MASOOD Published: December 26, 2013 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — An American development consultant abducted by Al Qaeda in Pakistan more than two years ago has urged the Obama administration to help secure his freedom in an impassioned video message released by the group. The consultant, Warren Weinstein, 72, was abducted from the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore in August 2011 when a group of armed men broke into his house. Mr. Weinstein worked as the Pakistan director for J. E. Austin Associates, an international development consulting company based in Arlington, Va. The video by Al Sahab, the media wing of Al Qaeda, was first reported by The Washington Post on Thursday. In a 13-minute video message, Mr. Weinstein, bearded and wearing a light-colored jacket and a dark cap, appeared distraught and dejected when he spoke about his family, his ill health and his time in captivity. "I am not in good health," he said, looking at the camera. "The years have taken their toll." Mr. Weinstein said that he had served his country for 30 years, and that nine years ago he came to Pakistan to help the United States government. "I did so at a time when most Americans would not come here," he said. "And now, when I need my government, it seems that I have been totally abandoned and forgotten." Mr. Weinstein said his captors had agreed to let him meet with his family if Qaeda members held by the United States were released. "Mr. Obama, you are a family man, and so you understand the deep mental anxiety and anguish that I have been experiencing for these past more than two years," he said. "I am therefore appealing to you on a humanitarian basis, if nothing else, and asking that you take the necessary actions to expedite my release and my return to my family and to my country, to our country." He also asked Secretary of State John Kerry for his help. A handwritten letter, purportedly drafted by Mr. Weinstein, was also distributed along with the video message to local news media outlets. It was dated Oct. 3, 2013. This was the second video statement by Mr. Weinstein. An earlier video in which he made a similar plea was released by Al Qaeda in 2012. Mr. Weinstein's kidnapping came at a time when relations between the United States and Pakistan were deeply strained after a security contractor for the Central Intelligence Agency shot and killed two Pakistanis in Lahore. In an unrelated development on Thursday, at least four people suspected of being militants were killed by a drone strike on a possible militant compound in northwestern Pakistan, a Pakistani official said. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the drone strike had taken place near Qutab Khel village, about three miles south of Miranshah, in the North Waziristan tribal region, a haven for Taliban and Qaeda militants. The identity of those killed was not immediately known, but the Pakistani official said they may have been of Arab origin. The Pakistani government condemned the drone strike. The use of drones by the C.I.A. is deeply unpopular in Pakistan. "These strikes are a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "There is an across-the-board consensus in Pakistan that these drone strikes must end." It added, "These drone strikes have a negative impact on the government's efforts to bring peace and stability in Pakistan and the region." Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud contributed reporting.

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KL shares open lower in lack of interest Posted: 25 Dec 2013 06:33 PM PST Shares on Bursa Malaysia opened lower this morning on the absence of participation by traders who were away for the Christmas and New Year holidays, dealers said. At 9.15am, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) stood at 1,832.77, down 2.72 points, after opening 6.95 points lower at 1,828.54. However, HwangDBS Vickers Research was optimistic that the positive external backdrop could lift sentiment on Bursa Malaysia. It said key US bellwethers on Wall Street extended their record highs, up by between 0.2 per cent and 0.4 per cent, on Christmas Eve. "On the chart, FBM KLCI may climb towards the immediate resistance level of 1,840 ahead," it said in a research note today. On the scoreboard, the Finance Index added 6.719 points to 16,844.19 but the Industrial Index lost 8.56 points to 3,117.53 and the Plantation Index dropped 22.01 points to 8,695.48. The FBM Emas Index fell 15.45 points to 12,643.8, the FBMT100 Index decreased 14.42 points to 12,382.41, the FBM Ace eased 1.71 points to 5,593.51 and the FBM 70 slipped 0.47 of a point to 14,042.99. Gainers led losers 112 to 89 while 125 counters were unchanged, 1,233 untraded, and 16 others were suspended. Turnover stood at 64.15 million shares worth RM35.88 million. Among actives, Tiger Synergy lost one sen to 14.5 sen and Hibiscus dropped 30 sen to RM1.54. Daya Materials earned half-a-sen to 38.5 sen while Sumatec and MAS was unchanged at 27.5 sen and 30.5 sen, respectively. Of heavyweights, Sime Darby added one sen to RM9.41, Tenaga lost two sen to RM11.06, Axiata fell erased three sen to RM6.72 while Maybank and CIMB were flat at RM9.95 and RM7.61, respectively.-- Bernama

KLCI futures mixed in early session Posted: 25 Dec 2013 06:35 PM PST The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives was traded mixed this morning. At 9.25am, spot month December 2013 and January 2014 remained pegged at Tuesday's 1,839.5 and 1,844, respectively while March 2014 added 1.5 points to 1,842.5 and June 2014 lost 1.5 points to 1,833. Turnover amounted to 4,316 lots while open interest stood at 46,337 contracts. The underlying FBM KLCI was 1.43 points lower at 1,834.06 after 25 minutes of trading.-- Bernama

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Atheists, work with us for peace, Pope says on Christmas - Reuters India Posted: 25 Dec 2013 07:42 AM PST By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY Wed Dec 25, 2013 6:35pm IST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, celebrating his first Christmas as Roman Catholic leader, on Wednesday called on atheists to unite with believers of all religions and work for "a homemade peace" that can spread across the world. Speaking to about 70,000 people from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, the same spot where he emerged to the world as pope when he was elected on March 13, Francis also made another appeal for the environment to be saved from "human greed and rapacity". The leader of the 1.2 billion-member Church wove his first "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and world) message around the theme of peace. "Peace is a daily commitment. It is a homemade peace," he said. He said that people of other religions were also praying for peace, and - departing from his prepared text - he urged atheists to join forces with believers. "I invite even non-believers to desire peace. (Join us) with your desire, a desire that widens the heart. Let us all unite, either with prayer or with desire, but everyone, for peace," he said, drawing sustained applause from the crowd. Francis's reaching out to atheists and people of other religions is a marked contrast to the attitude of former Pope Benedict, who sometimes left non-Catholics feeling that he saw them as second-class believers. He called for "social harmony in South Sudan, where current tensions have already caused numerous victims and are threatening peaceful coexistence in that young state". Thousands are believed to have died in violence divided along ethnic lines between the Nuer and Dinka tribes in the country, which seceded from Sudan in 2011 after decades of war. The pontiff also called for dialogue to end the conflicts in Syria, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq, and prayed for a "favourable outcome" to the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians. "Wars shatter and hurt so many lives!" he said, saying their most vulnerable victims were children, elderly, battered women and the sick. PERSONAL PEACEMAKERS The thread running through the message was that individuals had a role in promoting peace, either with their neighbour or between nations. The message of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem was directed at "every man or woman who keeps watch through the night, who hopes for a better world, who cares for others while humbly seeking to do his or her duty," he said. "God is peace: let us ask him to help us to be peacemakers each day, in our life, in our families, in our cities and nations, in the whole world," he said. Pilgrims came from all over the world for Christmas at the Vatican and some said it was because they felt Francis had brought a breath of fresh air to the Church. "(He) is bringing a new era into the Church, a Church that is focusing much more on the poor and that is more austere, more lively," said Dolores Di Benedetto, who came from the pope's homeland, Argentina, to attend Christmas Eve Mass. Giacchino Sabello, an Italian, said he wanted to get a first-hand look at the new pope: "I thought it would be very nice to hear the words of this pope close up and to see how the people are overwhelmed by him." In his speech, Francis asked God to "look upon the many children who are kidnapped, wounded and killed in armed conflicts, and all those who are robbed of their childhood and forced to become soldiers". He also called for a "dignified life" for migrants, praying tragedies such as one in which hundreds died in a shipwreck off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa are never repeated, and made a particular appeal against human trafficking, which he called a "crime against humanity". (Editing by Pravin Char)

Power outages darken Christmas for thousands - USA TODAY Posted: 25 Dec 2013 05:00 AM PST Andrew Powers, an arborist with Asplundh Tree Experts, clears iced branches from power lines along Mayflower Heights Drive in Waterville, Maine, on Dec. 23, 2013.(Photo: Michael G. Seamans, AP) Story Highlights Hundreds of thousands without power in central, northeastern USA In Michigan, power may not be restored until Thursday New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo activates state Emergency Operations Center As repair crews worked around the clock to restore power, tens of thousands in central and northeastern USA woke up to a cold, dark Christmas. The fierce winter storm that brought a White Christmas to many Northerners also delivered a dark Christmas to those who lost power in Michigan, Maine, Vermont and New York state after a weekend ice and snowstorm rolled across the region. Crews in Maine restored power overnight to 35,000 people who had been without power since the weekend, the Associated Press reported. By 8 a.m., about 70,000 remained without power. In Michigan, where more winter weather was about to arrive, 151,000 customers remained without power after a Saturday storm that darkened more than twice that many homes, according to utilities. Consumers Energy's official Twitter account said "129k w/o power this morning as crews prepare to battle snow and wind." DTE Energy reported that 22,000 customers remained without power in its coverage area, which includes Detroit. Brad Hoving, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, Mich., said most people were without power in some counties between Grand Rapids and Lansing, Mich. Some may not have electricity until sometime Wednesday or even Thursday, he said. "It's a big deal," Hoving said. "It's Christmas, and we've just had a major ice storm," with trees toppling over and ice-covered power lines. "This is our largest Christmas-week storm in our 126-year history, and it's our largest ice storm in the last 10 years," Consumers Energy spokeswoman Debra Dodd said. "We are working as hard as we can to get people back on. We recognize that this is a terrible time for this to happen." She said a total of 303,000 customers were affected at one point by the weekend storms, as ice-coated trees, roads and power lines. By Tuesday evening, that figure was down to 152,000, the Lansing State Journal reported. "Unfortunately, what's happening is, because the temperatures are remaining below freezing, the ice is not melting," Dodd said. "Things are continuing to fail." In Flint, the American Red Cross set up a warming shelter and a mobile food truck provided meals. "What we're recommending is, if they don't have a relative they can stay with, that they call 211," Dodd said. "That puts them in contact with their nearest United Way agency." The utility company said crews from as far away as Kansas and Washington, D.C., arrived Tuesday to help restore power, the Lansing State Journal said. In East Lansing, Terry Brock, from Richmond, Va., was visiting his parents when the ice storm struck. "I was basically up all night listening to transformers blow up and listening to branches fall all over the neighborhood," he said. "There's no one to be angry at so I'm not going to be," said Brock, whose car was damaged by a falling limb. In New York state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo activated the state Emergency Operations Center and declared a winter ice storm emergency for western and northern areas, where about 25,000 people were without power Tuesday. In Maine, nearly 70,000 people lost power, including a medical clinic in Bangor that forced walk-in patients to go elsewhere, the Bangor Daily News reports. The newspaper said as many as 150,000 customers were affected, including those in entire towns such as Readfield, Islesboro, Frankofot and Penobscot. Sharon Kiley Mack, executive director of the Machias Bay Chamber of Commerce, wrote in a Facebook post that the ice has taken its toll on the town: "Stand outside for a minute and all you can hear are crashing trees, falling branches and sirens." Power was knocked out to downtown Ellsworth, Maine, which declared a state of emergency. "Travel conditions are becoming life-threatening with icy conditions paired with downed power lines and fallen trees," the town said in a statement. "Especially after sunset, it will become difficult to see the downed power lines and trees contributing to even more hazardous conditions." In Vermont, almost 10,000 people were still without power on Tuesday. Vermont Electric Co-op CEO David Hallquist said ice continued to threaten power lines across the region and that co-op members living in the most isolated areas risk facing the longest outages, Vermont Public Radio reports. "We think we're heading for a very dangerous situation, that we're going to have power outages probably through Christmas," said Hallquist. "And the temperatures are going to be dropping below zero." In Canada, carbon monoxide poisoning likely killed five people using generators or barbecues to stay warm after losing power and heat. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said the city received about 110 carbon monoxide calls Monday — six times more than on a normal day. Hospitals treated 11 people with signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. About 90,000 customers were still awaiting power Tuesday evening, and officials said some may not have it restored until after Christmas. Contributing: Tammy Stables Battaglia, Detroit Free Press; Steven R. Reed, Lansing State Journal; the Associated Press

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