Tuesday, January 15, 2013

In the news, Friday, January 11, 2013


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THU 10      INDEX      SAT 12
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from Salon
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

The Hitler gun control lie
Gun rights activists who cite the dictator as a reason against gun control have their history dangerously wrong

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from Space.com

from The Spokesman-Review

Study finds half of food produced worldwide is wasted

Inslee won’t rule out tax hikes
Governor-elect urges reshuffled tax breaks

Thompson argues against Zehm restitution

City sues Freddie, Fannie
Spokane alleges improperly claimed excise tax exemptions

School staff talk teen out of planned attack
One student shot; sheriff says another also targeted

Agent linked to prostitute scandal
Report: DEA agent arranged for prostitute

Asteroid not threat after reassessment

Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’ heads Oscar lineup
Bigelow, Affleck fail to earn nominations

Tidyman’s workers triumph
Ruling awards laid-off employees millions

Fred Meyer workers hold soon-to-close celebration
Highlights include prizes, donation to Second Harvest

Gas may cost less in 2013
Large supply, weak demand are expected to lower prices

New rules will protect mortgage borrowers
Federal regulators unveil obligations, limits on lenders

Pouch appeal in baby food
Makers offer convenience, new flavor combinations

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In brief:  From Wire Reports:

Chavez supporters hold rally in capital

Caracas, Venezuela – Waving blue constitutions and red banners, tens of thousands of supporters of President Hugo Chavez crammed the streets of downtown Caracas amid growing questions about when, if ever, the ailing leader will return from Cuba.

The event, marking the beginning of a new six-year term for the cancer-stricken comandante, fell on the one-month anniversary since the public last saw or heard from him. His absence has fueled accusations that the administration is trampling the constitution by not transferring power to the head of the National Assembly until Chavez returns.

The rally came the day after the Supreme Court ruled that the 58-year-old leader has the right to stay out of the country “indefinitely” and can be sworn in before the court whenever he recovers. It also said he was still in charge of the nation and there was no need to send a medical team to evaluate his health, as opponents had requested. That leaves Vice President Nicolas Maduro – whom Chavez appointed in October – as the de-facto leader of the nation.


Kurdish activists slain in ‘execution’ in Paris

Paris – Three Kurdish activists, including reportedly one of the founding members of a militant separatist group, were shot dead in what authorities called an “execution” in central Paris. The slayings prompted speculation that the long-running conflict between insurgents from the minority group and Turkey was playing out on French shores.

The slayings came as Turkey was holding peace talks with the Kurdistan Workers Party, which seeks self-rule for Kurds in the country’s southeast, to try to persuade it to disarm. The conflict between the group, known as the PKK, and the Turkish government has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1984.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a news conference in Senegal on Thursday that his country was determined to press ahead with the talks despite the events in Paris, which he suggested could be the result of internal strife or an act to sabotage the talks.


Supervalu to sell chains, including Albertsons

NEW YORK – Supervalu Inc. is selling off five of its grocery chains, including Albertsons and Jewel-Osco, after years of being squeezed by intensifying competition.

The nation’s No. 3 traditional supermarket operator said Thursday that the sale of 877 stores to an investor group led by Cerberus Capital Management will also include Acme, Shaw’s and Star Market. The group already owns about 200 Albertsons in the South and Southwest.

Following the sale, Supervalu will focus on its Save-A-Lot discount stores, as well as its smaller regional chains Cub, Farm Fresh, Shoppers, Shop ’n Save and Hornbacher’s. It will also keep its wholesale business that distributes groceries to stores.

The investor group will pay $100 million in cash for the stores, and the new company will assume $3.2 billion in existing debt. Cerberus will also offer to buy up to 30 percent of the remaining Supervalu for $4 per share after the deal closes.

Supervalu has struggled for years to turn around its business. The broader supermarket industry has been facing growing competition from big-box retailers such as Target, drugstore chains and dollar stores. While bigger chains such as Kroger Co. have adapted by tweaking store formats and improving discount programs and product offerings, Supervalu has scrambled to keep pace.


Documents on Wal-Mart bribery inquiry released

NEW YORK – Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s CEO Mike Duke found out in 2005 that the retailer’s Mexico unit was handing out bribes to local officials, according to emails obtained by lawmakers.

The lawmakers say the emails contradict earlier claims by Wal-Mart that executives weren’t aware of bribes being made by the company.

Democratic congressmen Elijah E. Cummings and Henry A. Waxman, who are investigating bribery charges at Wal-Mart’s Mexico division, on Thursday released emails that indicate that Duke and other senior Wal-Mart officials were informed multiple times starting in 2005 about bribes being made in the country. U.S. law forbids American companies from bribing foreign officials.

The lawmakers shared the emails, which they say they got from a confidential source, with Wal-Mart on Wednesday, and sent a letter to Duke asking for a meeting to discuss them.

“It would be a serious matter if the CEO of one of our nation’s largest companies failed to address allegations of a bribery scheme,” according to the letter written by Waxman and Cummings to Duke.

Brooke Buchanan, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman, said on Thursday that the letter that Waxman and Cummings wrote to Duke “leaves the wrong impression that our public statements are contradicted by the information they released today.”


Starbucks to fight for Tully’s Coffee

SEATTLE – Starbucks says it will support efforts to have a bankruptcy court reconsider bids to purchase Tully’s Coffee.

The company said this week it plans to back a filing in which Tully’s franchisee AgriNurture outlines why it believes AgriNurture and Starbucks’ bids should be accepted.

The companies hope to derail a $9.15 million bid from actor Patrick Dempsey and his investor group that Tully’s and its creditors chose last week in a private auction.

Together, Starbucks and AgriNurture have offered to buy all 47 Tully’s locations for $10.56 million. Starbucks wants 25 of those stores, which it would rebrand Starbucks.

The case is to be heard Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Seattle.

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