Top News - Breaking News - World News from Reuters (April 2011 Diet)

[Reuters]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Barack Obama told Americans on Saturday there is no "magic bullet" to bring down high gasoline prices and said he wants to end what he called $4 billion in taxpayer subsidies to oil and gas companies.

Source: Obama sees no magic bullet to push down gas prices

[Reuters]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - PIMCO's Bill Gross, the manager of the world's largest bond fund, raised his bet against U.S. government-related debt in April to 4 percent from 3 percent, according to the company's website on Monday.

Source: PIMCO raises bet against U.S. government debt

[Reuters]

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Republican in the Congress on Monday laid down a tough new yardstick in talks over the nation's debt, telling Wall Street that spending cuts must exceed any boost to the borrowing limit.

Source: Boehner raises the bar for cuts in debt talks

[Reuters]

RICHMOND, Virginia (Reuters) - An appeals court on Tuesday sharply questioned whether the state of Virginia could challenge President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, which requires Americans to buy insurance in a bid to slow healthcare costs.

Source: Appeals court questions Obama healthcare lawsuit

[Reuters]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp plans to buy Internet phone service Skype for $8.5 billion in its biggest-ever acquisition, placing a rich bet on mobile and the Internet to try to best rivals such as Google Inc.

Source: Microsoft to buy Skype for pricey $8.5 billion

[Reuters]

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (Reuters) - The Mississippi River was cresting at Memphis on Tuesday just inches below the all-time record as the swollen wall of water moved south toward the Gulf of Mexico.

Source: Mississippi River crests near record at Memphis

[Reuters]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has a wide lead over potential Republican rivals for the presidential election in 2012, but faces serious doubts about his handling of the U.S. economy, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found on Wednesday.

Source: Obama way ahead of Republicans for 2012 election

[Reuters]

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's opposition leader accused the powerful spy agency of negligence and incompetence on Wednesday as the country's former president said rogue members of the security establishment may have helped Osama bin Laden hide for years near Islamabad.

Source: More pressure on Pakistani military over bin Laden

[Reuters]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans planned sharp cuts to foreign aid and education on Wednesday, while Democrats weighed a tax hike on millionaires, highlighting the yawning divide between the two parties in the budget debate.

Source: Republicans unveil cuts as Democrats eye tax hike

[Reuters]

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Even in the heart of Sri Lanka's financial capital, convicted hedge fund founder and one-time billionaire Raj Rajaratnam remains a mystery to many on the island of his birth.

Source: In his native Sri Lanka, Rajaratnam is no household name