Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/310643296?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Thursday, June 6, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Gunmen in Iraq ambush, shoot dead 14 travelers
Shiite pilgrims carry a symbolic coffin at the holy shrine of the Imam Moussa al-Kadhim during the annual commemoration of the saint's death at Kazimiyah district of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, June 5, 2013. (AP Photo/ Karim Kadim)
Shiite pilgrims carry a symbolic coffin at the holy shrine of the Imam Moussa al-Kadhim during the annual commemoration of the saint's death at Kazimiyah district of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, June 5, 2013. (AP Photo/ Karim Kadim)
Shiite pilgrims gather at the holy shrine of the Imam Moussa al-Kadhim during the annual commemoration of the saint's death at Kazimiyah district of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, June 5, 2013. (AP Photo/ Karim Kadim)
BAGHDAD (AP) ? Gunmen ambushed a group of travelers at a fake checkpoint at a remote desert site in western Iraq on Wednesday and killed at least 14 of them, according to Iraqi officials, in what appeared to be the latest blow in sectarian violence gripping the country.
The gunmen, apparently looking for Shiites to kill, struck near the town of Nukhaib. The town, near the site of a deadly 2011 ambush, sits at a desert crossroads west of the Shiite holy city of Karbala, but is in the Sunni-dominated Anbar province.
The assailants manning the fake highway checkpoint checked the identities of travelers, presumably to identify their sect based on their names, according to officials. Police said they found blood-stained IDs on the ground identifying some of the dead as coming from Karbala, 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Baghdad.
Officials said the 14 victims of Wednesday's attack were shot in the head. They said the dead included police and soldiers, as well as civilian residents of the overwhelmingly Shiite Karbala.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information to reporters.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday's attack. Iraqi officials believe Sunni insurgents including al-Qaida's Iraq branch as well as loyalists of Saddam Hussein's former regime are responsible for much of the violence against Shiites and government security forces, which are dominated by the Muslim sect.
Mohammed al-Moussawi, a provincial councilman in Karbala, confirmed that four of the dead ambushed were civilians from the province.
The area around Nukhaib, near where Wednesday's killings happened, was the site of an eerily similar September 2011 ambush on a bus carrying Shiite pilgrims.
In that earlier attack, uniformed gunmen set up a fake checkpoint and hijacked a bus from Karbala that was carrying Shiite pilgrims heading to the Sayida Zeinab shrine in Syria. They told the women and children to stay aboard while 22 men were marched out and shot dead further down the road.
Wednesday's attack came at the end of a Shiite commemoration of a revered eighth century saint, Imam Moussa al-Kadhim, believed to be buried in Baghdad. Authorities imposed tight security measures in the Iraqi capital to protect pilgrims, and no serious violence was reported there during the commemoration.
Violence has spiked in Iraq in recent weeks, raising fears of a return to widespread sectarian bloodshed.
According to the United Nations, at least 1,045 Iraqi civilians and security personnel were killed in May. The tally surpassed April's 712 killed, making May the deadliest month recorded since June 2008.
Iraq witnessed its bloodiest bout of violence between 2006 and 2007, when the country was on the brink of civil war and armed men freely roamed the streets of Baghdad.
Killers frequently used victims' names to identify them as Sunni or Shiite at the height of the conflict ? often targeting motorists at fake checkpoints ? and forgers sold fake ID cards bearing false names identified with a particular sect. At the peak of the sectarian violence between Shiites and Sunnis, more than 3,000 people died each month.
___
Associated Press writer Adam Schreck contributed to this report.
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Asia stocks up slightly on Fed hopes
A man looks at an electronic stock board outside a securities firm Monday, June 3, 2013, in Tokyo. Uncertainty about the U.S. Federal Reserve's next course of action and a sharp, sudden plunge on Wall Street sent Asian stock markets lower Monday. Japan?s Nikkei 225 index lost 2.2 percent to 13,475.64, echoing U.S. stock markets losses Friday. The Dow dropped more than 200 points, its worst drop in six weeks. (AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa)
A man looks at an electronic stock board outside a securities firm Monday, June 3, 2013, in Tokyo. Uncertainty about the U.S. Federal Reserve's next course of action and a sharp, sudden plunge on Wall Street sent Asian stock markets lower Monday. Japan?s Nikkei 225 index lost 2.2 percent to 13,475.64, echoing U.S. stock markets losses Friday. The Dow dropped more than 200 points, its worst drop in six weeks. (AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa)
BANGKOK (AP) ? Asian stock markets recovered modestly Tuesday, after negative economic news out of the U.S. was neutralized by the belief among many investors that the U.S. central bank would maintain its stimulus program to help the economy.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 0.3 percent to 13,305.72. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.1 percent to 4,893.90. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.1 percent to 22,312.52. South Korea's Kospi fell 0.3 percent to 1,983.21.
A report that showed U.S. manufacturing activity at its lowest level in nearly four years kept Wall Street afloat, oddly enough, by convincing investors that the Federal Reserve would not scale back on its massive bond-buying effort.
Speculation about the Fed's intentions regarding its program, called quantitative easing or QE, has sent stocks on a rollercoaster ride in recent sessions. The Fed purchases $85 billion a month in bonds and the proceeds eventually translate into bank loans intended to spur borrowing and spending. All that extra cash sloshing around the economy pushes interest rates down, which makes stocks more appealing to investors.
Worries that the good times might end if the Fed pulls the QE plug sent Asian stocks plummeting on Monday. But a weaker-than-anticipated U.S. manufacturing survey released later in the day led investors to believe it is more likely that the Fed would continue with QE, a positive for stocks. Wall Street closed higher.
Figures released Monday suggested the eurozone may be stabilizing somewhat. The monthly manufacturing purchasing managers' index from financial information provider Markit rose to 48.3 in May from the initial estimate of 47.8 ? the upward revision takes the index nearer to the 50 threshold between expansion and contraction.
On Monday in New York, the Dow Jones industrial average closed up 0.9 percent, at 15,254.03. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 0.6 percent to 1,640.42. The Nasdaq composite index rose 1 percent to 3,465.37.
Benchmark oil for July delivery fell 40 cents to $93.06 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.48 to close at $93.45 per barrel on the Nymex on Monday.
In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3061 from $1.3076 late Monday in New York. The dollar rose to 99.59 yen from 99.45 yen.
___
Follow Pamela Sampson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pamelasampson
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Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Huntsville Hospital cancels raises for about 8,000 employees ...
We recognize that they impact you and your families and we wish we did not have to make such difficult choices.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - About 8,000 Huntsville Hospital employees won't be getting raises in the coming budget year and will also have to pay more for their health insurance.
CEO David Spillers notified employees on Friday that hospital leaders were forced to make some "difficult decisions" because of flat patient volumes, rising employee health insurance costs - expected to top $50 million next year - and declining reimbursements from Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers.
"It is a very challenging time for the health care industry," Spillers wrote in a memo to the hospital's workforce. "People in our country want all the fabulous service and technology we can provide when a loved one is in need. The problem is no one wants to pay us fairly to provide those services."
"All of this leads us to little choice but to continue to manage our expenses prudently and look for ways to reduce our operational costs."
Spillers said the following changes will take effect July 1, at the start of the hospital's new budget year:
- Salaries will be frozen at current levels, with no possibility of merit increases or cost-of-living adjustments.
- Employees covered by the hospital's health insurance plan will see their monthly premiums for both single and family coverage jump by about $40. Spillers said $13.48 of the increase is directly related to Affordable Care Act mandates.
- The hospital will no longer make a basic annual contribution to employee retirement accounts equaling 5 percent of a person's salary. However, it will increase its matching contribution to 100 percent of their first 5 percent of salary saved by employees.
- Beginning with the July 7 pay period, employees will no longer accrue earned time off while taking earned time off. However, some staffers with large ETO reserves who had been required to take three days off each month will have to use only two days of ETO each month in the new budget year.
The changes affect about 8,000 employees of Huntsville Hospital, Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children, Madison Hospital and Decatur Morgan Hospital's Decatur General and Parkway Medical Center campuses.
"None of these decisions were easy to make," Spillers wrote. "We recognize that they impact you and your families and we wish we did not have to make such difficult choices. We encourage you to keep up your good work and we are confident we will get through this period.
"Huntsville Hospital has been in business for 118 years because of the great care we have provided," he wrote, "and because we have made wise but difficult decisions in our history."
Spokesman Burr Ingram said the hospital is dealing with a "healthcare world that has turned upside down," including $4.5 million in recent sequestration-triggered Medicare cutbacks and patients avoiding hospitals because they can't afford to pay for the care.
"We're certainly sensitive to the challenges this puts on all employees, but it's very clear these are unusual days we're in," Ingram said Monday. "The great news is that no jobs are being lost and everybody stays employed."
Source: http://blog.al.com/breaking/2013/06/huntsville_hospital_cancels_pa.html
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Stocks head lower on Fed stimulus worries
NEW YORK (AP) ? Stocks are ending lower on Wall Street as traders consider when and how much the Federal Reserve will slow down its economic stimulus.
The Dow Jones industrial average ended down 76 points at 15,177, a decrease of 0.5 percent.
The Dow recovered much of an early loss of 153. Traders worried that the Fed might slow down its bond purchases earlier than expected.
The Standard & Poor's 500 fell nine points to 1,631, or 0.6 percent. The Nasdaq fell 20 points to 3,445, a loss of 0.6 percent.
General Motors rose 1.6 percent on news that the company will be added to the S&P 500 index Thursday, replacing Heinz.
Three stocks fell for every two that rose on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was average at 3.6 billion shares.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stocks-head-lower-fed-stimulus-worries-184420260.html
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US trade deficit up 8.5 percent to $40.3 billion
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The U.S. trade deficit widened in April, as demand for foreign cars, cell phones and other imported goods outpaced growth in U.S. exports.
The Commerce Department said Tuesday that the trade gap rose 8.5 percent in April from March to $40.3 billion.
Exports increased 1.2 percent to $187.4 billion, the second-highest level on record. Companies sold more telecommunications equipment, industrial machinery and airplane parts, while U.S.-made autos and auto parts also rose to an all-time high of $12.8 billion.
But imports grew an even faster 2.4 percent to $227.7 billion. Sales of foreign cars increased to $25.5 billion. Americans also bought more consumer goods, led by big gain in foreign-made cell phones.
A wider trade gap can restrain growth because it means U.S. consumers and businesses are spending more on foreign goods than U.S. companies are taking in from overseas sales.
But Joel Naroff, chief economists at Naroff Economic Advisors, said the wider deficit does show growth in the U.S. remains stronger than most others nations. And that growth has helped fuel more spending by consumers on imported goods.
"The U.S. economy may not be robust but with growth continuing, the demand for foreign goods is picking up," Naroff.
Most economists said trade will likely be neutral in the April-June quarter after subtracting slightly from growth in the January-March quarter. They expect economic growth has slowed to an annual rate of around 2 percent, down from a 2.4 percent rate in the first quarter.
Still, a weaker global economy is reducing demand for U.S. exports and that could weigh on growth this year.
Europe's recession continues to be a problem for U.S. companies. The deficit with the 27-nation European Union grew 25.6 percent to $12.4 billion. U.S. exports to the region declined 7.9 percent, while imports from the region rose slightly.
The politically sensitive deficit with China surged to $24.1 billion, the highest level since January and the largest with any single nation. Imports jumped 21 percent, while exports fell 4.7 percent. The March deficit had been artificially lowered by shipping disruptions caused by the Chinese New Year holiday.
The April deficit with South Korea climbed to a record $2.4 billion. Imports from that country rose to an all-time high of $5.6 billion.
Fewer exports have slowed activity at American factories, according to a measure of U.S. manufacturing released Monday.
The Institute for Supply Management said Monday that its index of manufacturing activity fell to 49 last month from 50.7 in April. It was the lowest reading since June 2009 and the first time the index had slipped below 50 since November. A reading under 50 indicates contraction in manufacturing.
A measure of export orders in the ISM report fell to its lowest level since January.
The weakness abroad has coincided with less investment by U.S. businesses, possibly out of concern that government spending cuts could hobble economic growth.
The deficit so far this year is running at an annual rate of $491.9 billion, down 8 percent from the revised annual deficit of $534.7 billion for 2012.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-trade-deficit-8-5-percent-40-3-123803615.html
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