Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/298069470?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Thursday, April 11, 2013
Iran says 37 killed in earthquake in south
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? A 6.1 magnitude earthquake killed at least 37 and injured hundreds more in a sparsely populated area in southern Iran on Tuesday, Iranian officials said, adding that it did not damage a nuclear plant in the region.
The report said the earthquake struck the town of Kaki some 96 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Bushehr, a town on the Persian Gulf that is home of Iran's first nuclear power plant, built with Russian help.
"No damage was done to Bushehr power plant," Bushehr provincial governor Fereidoun Hasanvand told state TV. He said 37 people had died so far and 850 were injured, including 100 who were hospitalized.
The plant's chief, Mahmoud Jafari, confirmed the site's condition to semi-official Mehr news agency, saying that it is resistant to earthquakes of up to magnitude eight.
Water and electricity were cut to many residents, said Ebrahim Darvishi, governor of the worst-hit district Shonbeh.
The UN's nuclear watchdog agency said on its website that it had been informed by Iran that there was no damage to the plant and no radioactive release and, based on its analysis of the earthquake, was not seeking additional information. The International Atomic Energy Agency statement indicated that it was satisfied there was little danger.
Damaged houses are seen in the earthquake stricken town of Bushehr in Iran April 9, 2013. A powerful earthquake struck close to Iran's only nuclear power station on Tuesday, killing 30 people and ... more? Damaged houses are seen in the earthquake stricken town of Bushehr in Iran April 9, 2013. A powerful earthquake struck close to Iran's only nuclear power station on Tuesday, killing 30 people and injuring 800 as it devastated small villages, state media reported. REUTERS/Mehr News Agency (IRAN - Tags: DISASTER) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS less? ?Shahpour Rostami, the deputy governor of Bushehr province, told state TV that rescue teams have been deployed to Shonbeh.
Three helicopters were sent to survey the damaged area before sunset, said Mohammad Mozaffar, the head of Iran's Red Crescent rescue department. He said damage was particularly bad in the village of Baghan.
Kaki resident Mondani Hosseini told The Associated Press that people had run out into the streets out of fear.
Dozens of aftershocks have been reported by the official IRNA news agency since the earthquake, which occurred at 16:22 local time, 11:58 GMT.
Iran announced three days of mourning.
The quake was felt across the Gulf in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, where workers were evacuated from high-rise buildings as a precaution.
Earlier on Sunday a lighter earthquake jolted the nearby area. Iran is located on seismic faults and it experiences frequent earthquakes.
In 2003, some 26,000 people were killed by a 6.6 magnitude quake that flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam.
In Russia, the head of the state agency responsible for the Bushehr project said the reactor was not producing fission by chain reaction when the tremor occurred.
"Personnel at the station are continuing to work in a normal regime, the radiation conditions are within the norms of natural background," Igor Mezenin was quoted as saying by the ITAR-Tass news agency.
____
AP writers George Jahn in Vienna and James Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-says-37-killed-earthquake-south-191841244.html
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Louisiana lawmakers weigh options on eliminating income tax
By Stephanie Grace
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Louisiana lawmakers on Tuesday questioned the wisdom of eliminating the state's income tax without raising sales taxes, one day after Governor Bobby Jindal said he would delay his plan to scrap the income tax.
Jindal, a possible 2016 Republican presidential candidate, shelved his package on the two-month legislative session's opening day on Monday, acknowledging that widespread public discomfort doomed its chances.
Instead he called on lawmakers to pass their own plan and "send me a bill to get rid of these taxes."
His plan would have eliminated all state personal and corporate income taxes. It also called for a 56 percent increase in the state sales tax, a much higher cigarette tax, and the elimination of some tax loopholes to make up the $3 billion shortfall from abolishing the income taxes.
The question of whether to cut income taxes without raising the sales tax dominated the legislative debate on Tuesday. Another idea being floated was getting rid of the taxes over time instead of all at once.
At a Senate hearing, Republican Senator Robert Adley asked Department of Revenue Executive Counsel Tim Barfield whether an income tax repeal would still need to be revenue-neutral to pass muster with the governor.
"I think that would be the ultimate desire," Barfield said. "But I think if you look at a long-term phase-out of that (income tax), I think you have a lot more leeway."
Jindal's package, designed to make Louisiana more competitive with nearby income tax-free states such as Florida and Texas, would have seen the sales tax top 11 percent in some localities, the highest in the nation, when combined with local taxes.
Simply eliminating the income tax could be an easier sell than pursuing tax hikes to make up for the lost revenue. For one thing, it would not require a two-thirds vote of each chamber of the legislature.
But watchdog groups warned lawmakers against going ahead with a big tax cut on the fly.
"Pursuing a 10-year phase-out of the income tax while trying to find offsets that even the governor couldn't find would be a daunting task at best and of great potential risk to the state at worst," the Council for a Better Louisiana said in a statement. "And simply phasing out the income tax without offsets would be irresponsible."
Representative Joel Robideaux, the Republican Ways and Means chairman who was the sponsor of Jindal's plan, also has weighed in on the side of finding offsets.
House Democratic Caucus Chair John Bel Edwards accused Jindal of being more worried about building a record for a possible presidential run than addressing Louisiana's needs.
"The governor is looking to court folks outside of Louisiana instead of addressing the concerns we have here," Edwards said. "Until we can adequately fund our priorities, we should not even begin to discuss dismantling our tax system."
(Editing by Corrie MacLaggan and Xavier Briand)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/louisiana-lawmakers-weigh-options-eliminating-income-tax-032718670.html
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Thursday, February 28, 2013
ArcelorMittal unit hit by S.Africa carbon tax worries
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Shares of ArcelorMittal South Africa dropped more than 6 percent on Wednesday after the government said it would tax carbon emissions from 2015, sparking concern heavy polluters could see their earnings hit.
As the continent's top greenhouse gas emitter, South Africa is looking to curb emissions, although it also plans some exemptions to protect industry, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said during his 2013 budget speech.
ArcelorMittal South Africa, a unit of the world's biggest steelmaker and one of the biggest polluters in the country, finished down 6.1 percent at 28.83 rand following the speech, becoming the biggest percentage decliner on Johannesburg's All-share index.
A carbon tax will add to the woes of the steelmaker, which has been struggling with lower domestic sales, high input costs and a fire at one of its plants.
"They have been spending heavily on curbing pollution in recent years, but there's probably still a way to go," said Stephen Meintjes, an analyst at brokerage Imara S.P. Reid in Johannesburg.
The tax, set at 120 rand per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent, has been criticised by carbon-intensive companies such as ArcelorMittal and petrochemicals giant Sasol.
Shares of Sasol, the world's top producer of motor fuel from coal and one of the heavyweights on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, fell nearly 2 percent.
Some of the exemptions proposed by the Treasury include a 60 percent tax-free threshold until 2020 on annual emissions for all industries, including electricity, petroleum, iron, steel and aluminium.
Companies will also be able to claim additional relief of up to 10 percent by investing in external green projects to reduce their carbon tax liabilities.
"It is a mixture of the ugly, the good and the uncertain," said Mike Rossouw, chairman of the Energy Intensive Users Group, an industry body.
"The ugly is that the announcement took place when industry is not yet ready to implement and a range of supporting regulatory measures are not in place by government."
South Africa wants to cut emissions by a third over the next decade but has little flexibility to make fast changes with major employers among the top polluters and its cash-strapped power sector almost fully reliant on coal.
Nearly all of South Africa's power is generated by state-utility Eskom's coal-fired plants, making it impossible for companies to choose power from cleaner sources.
South Africa is investing heavily to diversify away from coal but it may take decades before a significant portion of its energy is clean.
Treasury will release an updated carbon tax policy paper for further public consultation at the end of March.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arcelormittal-africa-slides-carbon-tax-news-142723710--finance.html
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Wednesday, February 27, 2013
'Just make the cuts'
Washington is in panic mode over the so-called sequester?automatic, across-the-board spending cuts set to be triggered March 1 if Congress and the White House can't reach a deficit reduction deal. Just days before the federal budget will be forced to shave less than 3 percent from its annual budget, politicos from President Barack Obama to Republican House Speaker John Boehner are prophesying Armageddon.
But while most lawmakers flail through the nation's capital as if their hair just caught fire, a coalition of conservative groups are urging lawmakers to stop worrying and learn to love the sequester.
Americans for Prosperity, for example, is one of a few organizations hailing the looming budget cuts as a potential victory. The group, backed by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch, has dispatched members from its network of activists to visit 10 lawmakers' state offices in Florida, North Carolina, Arkansas and Minnesota urging them to let the across-the-board cuts take their course. The group is also circulating a petition arguing that sequestration is "not enough" and plans to release online ads.
"Just make the cuts," AFP President Tim Phillips told Yahoo News in an interview. "These are modest cuts. It's about 2 cents roughly on every dollar of federal spending."
Meanwhile, AFP is urging its 2.3 million members to flood congressional officers with letters calling on them not to make a deal to avoid the cuts. "Thankfully, Congress and the President have already agreed to cut $85 billion from the budget this year," the form letter reads. "That?s not enough but it?s a good first step. I urge you not to undo those spending cuts."
The sequestration plan, crafted in 2011 as part of deficit reduction negotiations to encourage both Republicans and Democrats to find a compromise, will affect both domestic discretionary spending and the defense budget. Phillips conceded that he felt the defense cuts were "disproportionately tough," but said it was worth it to achieve that level of spending cuts.
"The president and Senate Democrats all agreed to this during the debt limit deal," he said. "They ought to keep their word."
Meanwhile, a group of nearly 50 leaders of conservative organizations signed onto a letter that called for passage of the cuts?even those that affect the Pentagon, an area of government spending the right rarely likes to touch.
"While many conservatives would prefer reprogramming defense cuts to other areas of discretionary spending (dollar for dollar cuts in the same year), the current sequester savings are better than none at all," the letter, signed by Club for Growth President Chris Chocala, former attorney general Edwin Meese, who served under President Ronald Reagan, and others, read.
At least for now, all signs suggest these groups will get their wish. The Senate this week is poised to vote on a Democrat-sponsored deficit-reduction package that mixes spending cuts with tax increases, but Republicans in the House and Senate have refused to approve any measure that increases taxes. Lawmakers have until Friday to secure a deal.
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It's back! New Jeep gets an old name: Cherokee
Chrysler is turning to an old name for a brand new Jeep. Say farewell to Liberty. The replacement model that will added to the line-up for 2014 will be rechristened the Jeep Cherokee, reviving a nameplate that helped kick off one of the most dramatic transformations in modern automotive history.
Jeepisn?t saying much beyond describing the 2014 Cherokee as an ?all-new, ?no-compromise?? vehicle that will set ?a new standard with even more best-in-class capability, exemplary on-road driving dynamics, and fuel economy improvements of more than 45% versus the outgoing mid-size SUV model.?
The new mid-size sport-utility vehicle will make its formal debut at the upcoming New York Auto Show. The 2014 Jeep Cherokee will be assembled at Chrysler?s big Toledo Assembly Plant a half-hour south of Detroit, the same factory that produced the old Jeep Liberty.
A quick look at the styling suggests the automaker wanted a more modern and distinctive look, with design cues clearly borrowing from the Jeep brand?s flagship sport-utility model. But this is more than just a ?baby? Grand Cherokee.
(For a look at some spy shots of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, Click Here.)
Observers and company insiders alike say Jeep is taking a risky approach with the front end, in particular, which features a folded take on the brand?s familiar, 7-slot grille, as well as distinctive split headlight and foglamps.
Company officials have hinted that the new model will focus less on the traditional, go-anywhere capabilities associated with Jeep products, putting more emphasis on the on-road ride and comfort that today?s ute buyers prefer.
The old Liberty model was a ?niche part? of an SUV market that has ?moved on? from its original focus on off-roading, said Mike Manley, CEO of the Jeep brand.
The Jeep marque was a major factor in the explosive growth of the sport-utility segment during the 1970s, ?80s and ?90s, the launch of the original Cherokee in 1974 creating a surge in demand as U.S. buyers looked for more enticing alternatives to their traditional sedans and wagons.
The early version ? which remained in production through 2001 ? also helped introduce the concept of four-wheel-drive to a more mainstream audience. Today?s newest all-wheel-drive systems are becoming increasingly common on conventional sedans and even sports cars, as well as SUVs.
The Detroit Bureau: Despite Recent Price Spike, DoE Expects Gas to Level Off, Even Decline
And on the car-based crossover-utility vehicles that have largely supplanted more traditional, truck-based sport-utes. CUVs often sacrifice the off-road capabilities in favor of better on-road manners and improved fuel economy. But the unibody design of the big Jeep Grand Cherokee shows that it is possible to meld off- and on-road capabilities in one vehicle.
The new 2014 Jeep Cherokee is being seen as a critical part of the brand?s global growth plans. Long focused on the North American market, Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has declared the Jeep brand one of a handful of marques that will be sold worldwide.
The reborn Cherokee will likely play a critical part of that, along with the latest updated of the Jeep Patriot and Compass models and an even smaller crossover that the maker plans to produce in Italy. The Grand Cherokee is also getting an early mid-cycle update for 2014, along with the addition of a new, high-mileage diesel engine.
The Detroit Bureau: Ford Looking to Novel Way to Get Back into Compact Pickup Market
But Jeep isn?t focusing only on downsized models. The marque also is rumored to be developing a larger ute that could bring back another once-popular nameplate, that of the old Grand Wagoneer.
With the addition of the Liberty and the Compass and Patriot updates, CEO Marchionne is hoping to boost Jeep sales to around 800,000 by 2014, up from 701,626 in 2012 ? which was the brand?s best year ever.
The grapevine was right, Chrysler is bringing back the Jeep Cherokee.
The mid-size SUV that?ll be called Cherokee ? slotted below the Grand Cherokee in the lineup ? will be unveiled at the New York International Auto Show next month as a 2014 model.
Chrysler says Cherokee will be built at its Jeep factory in Toledo, Ohio and will go on sale the third quarter this year.
The Detroit Bureau: Over 250,000 Vehicles Damages, Destroyed By Sandy
Cherokee, a boxy and sturdy utility with off-road credibility, was the brand?s well-known SUV for more than two decades until it was replaced by Liberty in the U.S. starting in the 2002 model year (Chrysler, confusingly, also sold the Liberty under the Cherokee name elsewhere in the world)..
Now the pendulum swings back, and Cherokee will supplant the Liberty here.
No specifics on power, size, price, mileage, but the automaker says it will be a ?no compromise? vehicle and will have mileage improvements of more than 45% vs. the current Liberty.
Copyright ? 2009-2012, The Detroit Bureau
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/its-back-new-jeep-gets-old-name-cherokee-1C8537986
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India on high alert: Twin bike bombs kill at least 11 in southern Indian city of Hyderabad
The explosions, which injured scores of market goers, come amid ongoing tensions in India over its recent execution of convicted terrorist Mohammad Afzal Guru.
Fire fighters extinguish a fire at the site of an explosion in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad February 21, 2013. Two bombs placed on bicycles exploded in a crowded market-place in Hyderabad on Thursday, and the federal home minister said at least 11 people were killed and 50 wounded.
Reuters
EnlargeA pair of bicycle bombs rocked a crowded marketplace in Hyderabad today, killing at least 11 people and injuring scores more in the southern Indian city of 6.8 million, a major hub for information technology where Microsoft and Google have a large presence.
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Arthur Bright is the Europe Editor at The Christian Science Monitor.? He has worked for the Monitor in various capacities since 2004, including as the Online News Editor and a regular contributor to the Monitor's Terrorism & Security blog.? He is also a licensed Massachusetts attorney.
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Reuters reports that India has gone on high alert after the explosions, which local television stations report may have killed up to 15 people and wounded at least 50.?The last major bomb attack in India was a blast in September of 2011 outside the high court in New Delhi that killed 13 people.
"Both blasts took place within a radius of 150 meters," federal Home (Interior) Minister Sushil Shinde told reporters, adding the explosives were placed on bicycles parked in the crowded marketplace. "Eight people died at one place, three at the other."
The explosions come less than two weeks after India hanged a Kashmiri man for a militant attack on the country's parliament in 2001 that had sparked violent clashes.
Witnesses told Reuters they heard at least two explosions in the Dilsukh Nagar area of Hyderabad just after dusk but there could have been more.
The Hindustan Times reports that Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters that "it was too early to say anything" about whether it was a terrorist attack, but that the government was investigating. But the Times notes that the country had already been on alert for attacks due to the recent execution of Mohammad Afzal Guru, a convict in the 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament.
The Monitor reported earlier this month that Mr. Afzal Guru's death sentence, though handed down in 2002, was carried out on Feb. 9 without advance warning, and appears to involve a significant political impetus.
The execution is being seen by analysts as the ruling Congress party?s way of regaining public confidence in the wake of several corruption scandals and protests over the recent Delhi gang-rape. Political commentator Seema Mustafa says the sudden decision to execute Afzal Guru, after years of dilly-dallying, is part of a Congress party effort?to improve its position for the 2014 general elections. ?The Congress in its usual cynical manipulation of the votes is trying to eat into the majority constituency with this action,? she says.
Executions had become more rare up until [that of Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist in the 2008 Mumbai attacks] ? the first in India in eight years. Like Kasab's hanging in November, Azfal Guru's?came just ahead of a parliament session. ?I would just say it's extremely tragic if Indian democracy is going to survive on executing someone or the other before every Parliament session,? says lawyer Vrinda Grover. Congress party spokesman?Abhishek Manu Singhvi called such suggestions about the timing "irresponsible and childish."
The execution led to days of protest in Kashmir, where Afzal Guru was from.
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