Evening Edition

I’ll be sitting in for ek hornbeck who is Live Blogging the NCAA Championship Games for the next few days.

• Air strikes silence Gaddafi guns at besieged city
  
  By Maria Golovnina and Michael Georgy

  TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Western warplanes silenced Muammar Gaddafi’s artillery and tanks besieging the rebel-held town of Misrata on Wednesday after an American admiral warned that the Libyan leader’s armor was now in the cross-hairs.

  Breathing defiance, Gaddafi earlier said Western powers carrying out air strikes on Libya were “a bunch of fascists who will end up in the dustbin of history.”

• Japan nuclear crisis still a serious concern
  
  By Shinichi Saoshiro and Yoko Kubota

  TOKYO (Reuters) – Tokyo residents were warned not to give babies tap water because of radiation leaking from a nuclear plant crippled in the earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeast Japan in the world’s costliest natural disaster.

  The U.N. atomic agency said there had been some positive developments at the Fukushima nuclear plant 250 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo but the overall situation remained serious. Some countries have started blocking imports of produce from Japan, fearful of radiation contamination.

• Jerusalem bombing kills woman
  
  By Crispian Balmer

  LISBON (Reuters) – Portugal’s parliament started a key debate on Wednesday on government austerity measures which opposition parties were expected to reject, setting the stage for the possible collapse of the minority Socialist administration a day before a European summit.

  Prime Minister Jose Socrates has said he will resign if the plan is defeated. He has said its rejection would force the debt-laden country to follow Greece and Ireland and seek an international bailout, which he opposes.

• Goldman CEO says ex-director broke boardroom rules
  
  By Grant McCool and Jonathan Stempel

  NEW YORK (Reuters) – Goldman Sachs Group Inc chief Lloyd Blankfein told jurors at Raj Rajaratnam’s insider trading trial that a former director at Wall Street’s most powerful bank violated confidentiality in discussions with the accused hedge fund manager.

  Blankfein was called to testify by prosecutors in Manhattan federal court about Goldman’s results in 2008, and a crucial investment that September by billionaire Warren Buffett at the height of the financial crisis. His appearance intensified the focus on what is already the largest U.S. insider trading case in two decades.

• Jerusalem bombing kills woman
  
  By Crispian Balmer

  JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A bomb planted in a bag exploded near a bus stop in a Jewish district of Jerusalem on Wednesday, killing a woman and injuring at least 30 people, in an attack police blamed on Palestinian militants.

  No one claimed responsibility for the blast, which coincided with an upsurge of violence on the Gaza border that has led to fears of a new war between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, after months of relative quiet.

• New home sales plumb record lows, prices stumble
  
  By Lucia Mutikani

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Sales of new U.S. homes sank to a record low in February and prices were the weakest in just over seven years, underscoring the housing market’s lingering malaise.

  The Commerce Department said on Wednesday sales of new single-family homes dropped 16.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted 250,000 unit annual rate, the lowest since records began in 1963, after a 301,000-unit pace in January.

• Syrian forces shoot protesters, kill 6 in mosque
  
  By Suleiman al-Khalidi

  DERAA, Syria (Reuters) – Syrian forces killed six people on Wednesday in an attack on a mosque in the southern city of Deraa, and later opened fire on hundreds of youths marching from nearby villages in solidarity, witnesses said.

  “They (the youths) came into Deraa from the north entrance. Bodies fell in the streets. We do not know how many died,” one witness said.

• U.S. completes review of blowout preventer in BP spill
  

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The failure of the underwater blowout preventer that led to the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was caused by the inability of the blind shear rams to close and seal the leaking well, the U.S. government said on Wednesday.

  “The primary cause of failure was identified as the (blind shearing rams) failing to close completely and seal the well due to a portion of drill pipe becoming trapped between the ram blocks,” according to a report commissioned by the Interior Department and Department of Homeland Security.

• Eiffel Tower briefly evacuated over suspect package
  

  PARIS (Reuters) – Paris’ Eiffel Tower was briefly evacuated on Wednesday after a suspicious package alert at one of the world’s most visited tourist sites, the monument’s operating company said.

  Some 3,000 people were evacuated before the alert was lifted at 1900 (2 p.m. EST) following searches, a company official said. The tower was to re-open later on Wednesday evening to visitors.

• to discuss Egypt, Libya in Cairo visit
  
  By Phil Stewart Phil Stewart

  CAIRO (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Cairo on Wednesday on an unannounced two-day visit where he is expected to discuss operations in Libya and offer U.S. assistance during Egypt’s transition to democracy.

  Gates will have his first face-to-face meeting with Field Marshall Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the head of Egypt’s ruling military council, since long-time ally U.S. Hosni Mubarak was toppled by a mass uprising.

• Obama leaves El Salvador, heads home to Libya debate
  
  By Alister Bull and Matt Spetalnick

  SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) – President Barack Obama headed home from El Salvador on Wednesday, wrapping up a five-day visit to Latin America after receiving a briefing on the U.S.-led military action in Libya that has overshadowed his tour.

  The president cut short his trip by several hours to return to Washington, where he will face critics of U.S. involvement in the international air campaign against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

• NATO still split on taking over Libya operation
  
  By David Brunnstrom

  BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO failed again to agree on Wednesday on taking over command of military operations against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces in Libya from the United States, chiefly due to Turkish reservations, diplomats said.

  After ambassadors of the 28-nation alliance ended a third day of wrangling in Brussels without a deal, one senior NATO diplomat said: “No decision on anything.”

• UK to host summit to discuss U.N. Libya action
  

  LONDON (Reuters) – Britain will host an international conference in London next Tuesday to discuss progress on the U.N.-mandated military intervention in Libya, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Wednesday.

  “At the conference we will discuss the situation in Libya with our allies and partners and take stock of the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973,” Hague said in a statement.

• U.S. Gates says up to Libyans to settle own fate
  

  CAIRO (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday it was ultimately up to Libyans to settle matters in their country, where rebels are fighting an insurgency against Muammar Gaddafi’s four-decade rule.

  “It seems to me that if there is a mediation to be done, if there is a role to be played, it is among the Libyans themselves. This matter at the end of the day is going to have to be settled by Libyans. It’s their country,” Gates told reporters during a visit to Cairo.

• U.N. says wants to negotiate Libya aid “corridors”
  
  By Stephanie Nebehay

  GENEVA (Reuters) – The United Nations wants to negotiate “humanitarian corridors” to let more aid into Libya where fighting in the east of the country has uprooted tens of thousands and hit food supplies, the U.N. said on Wednesday.

  U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya Rashid Khalikov told a news conference Libyan authorities had indicated there was no major need for humanitarian aid, but discussions continued on how to best to support people affected by the conflict.

• Sprint cries foul over rivals’ mega-merger
  
  By Sinead Carew

  ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – Sprint Nextel Corp cried foul over a planned merger between AT&T Inc and T-Mobile USA, saying the deal would stifle competition and potentially hurt its profitability.

  Sprint executives attending a wireless industry event on Monday criticized AT&T’s proposed $39 billion of Deutsche Telekom’s U.S. unit, announced on Sunday, and listed several ways it could hurt the wireless industry.

• U.S. blocks milk, produce from Japan near nuclear plant
  

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States will block imports of milk and fresh produce from areas of Japan near a crippled nuclear power plant, the Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday.

  All milk and milk products and fresh fruits and vegetables from four Japanese prefectures — Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma — will be stopped from entering the United States, the FDA said in a statement.

• Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor dies at 79
  
  By Bob Tourtellotte

  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor, whose violet eyes, tumultuous love life and passion for diamonds became a byword for Hollywood glamour, died on Wednesday at age 79.

  The star of “Cleopatra” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles surrounded by her four children after a long battle with congestive heart failure, her spokeswoman said. She had been hospitalized six weeks ago.

• USDA funds more fruits and veggies for school kids
  

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) – State agencies will get more federal funding to provide fresh fruits and vegetables at schools, the Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday.

  The $48 million increase in funding for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program represents a 40 percent increase since last fiscal year.

• Idaho Senate approves ban on abortions after 20 weeks
  
  By Laura Zuckerman Laura Zuckerman

  SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) – The Idaho Senate on Wednesday approved a measure that would ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and subject abortion providers who violate the ban to criminal prosecution and lawsuits.

  The bill now heads to the state House of Representatives, where passage is expected. And a representative with the National Right to Life Committee, which is behind the legislation, predicted the ban will find favor with Idaho’s Republican governor.

• New York nuke plant seismic review gets top priority
  
  By Dan Wiessner

  ALBANY, New York (Reuters) – U.S. regulators have promised to make the Indian Point nuclear power plant near New York City their top priority in a review of seismic risk at U.S. nuclear plants, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday.

  The plant 25 miles of New York City, already a source of safety concern among state officials, has faced renewed scrutiny since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that crippled Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex.

• Ohio voters dislike Kasich’s union, budget plans: poll
  

  CHICAGO (Reuters) – Most Ohio voters do not like how Governor John Kasich is doing his job, including his push to limit collective bargaining for public workers, according to a poll released Wednesday.

  A poll conducted by Quinnipiac University found that Ohio voters disapprove by 46 to 30 percent of the way the first-term Republican is handling his job, with women disapproving by 48 to 25 percent and men disapproving by 44 to 37 percent.

• Spring snow and cold weather hit Northeast
  

  BOSTON (Reuters) – Significant snowfall fell across parts of Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey on Wednesday, while snow, rain and uncharacteristically cold temperatures were forecast across the winter-weary Northeast.

  Between four and eight inches of snow blanketed the border of Pennsylvania and New York on Wednesday morning, and another three to five inches was possible, said Tom Kines, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.com.

• Del Monte Produce recalls cantaloupe
  

  NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. food company Fresh Del Monte Produce said on Tuesday it was recalling nearly 5,000 cartons of cantaloupes which may be contaminated with a form of salmonella.

  The cantaloupes were distributed through warehouse clubs in Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, the company said.

• Cayman Isles target Americans for medical tourism
  
  By Shurna Robbins

  GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (Reuters) – A renowned Indian heart surgeon has struck a deal to build a 2,000-bed healthcare city in the Cayman Islands to target American patients and insurers searching for deeply discounted medical care.

  The British Caribbean territory agreed to the deal with Dr. Devi Shetty, a low-cost healthcare pioneer renowned as Mother Teresa’s heart surgeon. The Caymans fulfilled its part of the bargain last week by passing legislation that caps medical negligence claims at $600,000.