Month: March 2013

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died on Tuesday after a two-year battle with cancer, ending 14 years of divisive rule. Following is reaction to Chavez’s death: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offered his “deepest condolences” to the people of Venezuela. U.S. President Barack Obama, in a statement: “At this challenging time of President Hugo Chavez’s passing, the United States reaffirms its support for the Venezuelan people and its interest in developing a constructive relationship with the Venezuelan government. …

CARACAS (Reuters) – President Hugo Chavez died on Tuesday after a two-year battle with cancer, ending 14 years of tumultuous and divisive rule that won him passionate support among the poor but hatred from business leaders and wealthy Venezuelans. The flamboyant 58-year-old had undergone four operations in Cuba for a cancer that was first detected in his pelvic region in mid-2011. He vanished from public view after December 11 surgery that resulted in complications and respiratory infections. "It's a moment of deep pain," said Vice President Nicolas Maduro, choking up during a national …

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The company whose employee refused to administer CPR to a dying woman said Tuesday that the employee wrongly interpreted its policy. But the elderly woman's family said she would not have wanted life-prolonging aid.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Huron Consulting Group Inc won the dismissal Tuesday of a whistleblower lawsuit accusing it of causing a New York hospital to receive more than $30 million in inflated payments under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan ruled against Associates Against Outlier Fraud, which brought the lawsuit under the federal False Claims Act and a similar New York state law. The lawsuit also named as a defendant Empire HealthChoice Assurance Inc, which acted as the fiscal intermediary that serviced the hospital, St. …

CARACAS (Reuters) – Grieving and stunned supporters of deceased Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took to the streets on Tuesday weeping, chanting slogans and vowing to continue their hero's revolution. Gathering in streets and squares across the South American nation of 29 million people, backers of the socialist leader shouted: "Chavez lives forever!" and "The fight continues!" "We have to show that what he did was not in vain," said Jamila Rivas, 49, crying outside the military hospital where Chavez died. Hundreds of supporters flocked there. …

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The company that operates a California elder care facility where a woman died after being denied CPR says the employee who refused to cooperate with a 911 dispatcher did not understand company policies.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelans will vote for a new president in 30 days and Vice President Nicolas Maduro will temporarily assume power following the death on Tuesday of Hugo Chavez, the foreign minister said. “The vice president assumes power as the president, and elections will be held in the next 30 days,” Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said in televised comments. (Reporting by Andrew Cawthorne; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Eric Walsh)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top Republican on the Democrat-led U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee said on Tuesday that he may back at least two of the four gun-control bills that the panel will consider this week. Iowa Senator Charles Grassley's support could help both measures – one aimed at cracking down on illegal gun trafficking, the other designed to bolster security at schools – pass the Senate. But Grassley, echoing many other Republicans in Congress, said he would not support a plan to renew a ban on the sale of military-style, semi-automatic "assault" weapons. …

DETROIT (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co Chief Executive Alan Mulally this week was awarded performance bonuses worth nearly $12 million, Ford disclosed to U.S. regulators on Tuesday. The amount Mulally makes from the shares depends on their value on the day he sells them. They were worth $11.7 million based on Tuesday's closing price of $12.88. Ford also said Mulally received $7 million of shares that became fully vested this week, based on 2010 equity awards. In addition, Mulally was awarded 745,526 shares in stock options with a strike price of $12. …

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — An elderly woman who died after a nurse at her elder home refused to provide CPR had chosen to live in a facility without medical staff and wanted to pass away without life-prolonging intervention, her family said Tuesday.

CARACAS (Reuters) – The corpse of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will lie in state through Friday when a public funeral will be held with invited guests from across Latin America, Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said late on Tuesday. He declared seven days of mourning for the leader who died of cancer and said Chavez’s body would be transferred from hospital to a military academy on Wednesday. (Reporting By Andrew Cawthorne; Writing by Terry Wade)