1 of 2. Vincent Pomarede, curator of painting department at the Louvre Lens Museum, poses front of Eugene Delacroix 's painting, ''Liberty Leading the People (28 July 1830) (La Liberte guidant le peuple) in ''La Galerie du Temps'' (Gallery of Time) during a media day on the eve of the inauguration of the Le Louvre Lens Museum, in Lens, northern France, in this December 3, 2012 file photo.

PARIS | Fri Feb 8, 2013 12:04pm EST

PARIS (Reuters) - A woman has defaced Eugene Delacroix's painting "Liberty Leading the People" with a black marker as it hung in an outpost of the Louvre gallery in northern France.

Police arrested a 28-year-old woman on Thursday for writing "AE911" across the bottom of a painting so closely identified with the French Republic that its image once graced the 100-franc note and it has been reproduced on postage stamps.

Painted in 1830, the work was on loan from the main Louvre in Paris to the new Louvre-Lens gallery in northern France inaugurated last December by President Francois Hollande.

"AE911Truth" is the name of a website called "Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth" whose backers say they are seeking to establish the truth of the September 11, 2001 suicide airliner attacks on New York's Twin Towers.

"It had really become an icon, a sort of symbol of the Republic which has remained famous throughout the ages," said Vincent Pomarede, head of the Louvre's painting department.

"We have a very passionate relationship with all our paintings and when something like this happens it's really hard to handle," he said.

Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People" was painted after the 1830 July Revolution as a symbol of reconciliation following the overthrow of Bourbon King Charles X and the ascent to the throne of his cousin Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orleans.

The work, depicting a bare-breasted woman brandishing a tricolor flag and leading her people over the bodies of the fallen, was later adopted as a revolutionary emblem in the 1848 uprising which overthrew the Orleans monarchy.

It subsequently disappeared from public view before resurfacing in the Louvre after the advent of the Third Republic in 1871, after which its place in the French national consciousness was sealed.

The Louvre confirmed on Friday it had managed to save the painting as the black marker had not penetrated the upper layer of varnish and has been successfully removed.

Opened in December, the 150 million euro ($195 million) art center in Lens houses temporary exhibitions as well as a rotating collection of works from the Louvre museum in Paris.

It was conceived in an effort to regenerate a dreary northern region of France, once known for its mining industry, but now in economic decline.

While the Louvre in Paris looks out onto manicured lawns and flowerbeds of the Tuileries Gardens, Louvre-Lens sits on a disused coalmine and offers views onto slag heaps and a stadium housing the local football club.

(Additional reporting By Pierre Savary; Editing by Brian Love and Paul Casciato)

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Sat Feb 16, 2013 2:18pm EST

n">(Reuters) - AllThingsD, the widely read technology blog run by Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg, has begun discussions with owner News Corp about extending or ending their partnership, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters.

According to these sources, AllThingsD's contract with News Corp expires at the end of the year. One of the sources said Swisher and Mossberg have to deliver a business plan by next week to Robert Thomson, the former Wall Street Journal managing editor who will helm News Corp's publishing unit as CEO after it is spun off.

The fact that AllThingsD's contract is up this year is well known, and sources said the website is receiving a lot of "inbound interest" from potential buyers parallel to its talks with News Corp.

Among the names mentioned as having reached out to AllThingsD were Conde Nast, where Swisher recently signed to work as a contributing writer for Vanity Fair, and Hearst.

Sources also speculated that former Yahoo and News Corp executive Ross Levinsohn might be looking at the website given his new role as Chief Executive of Guggenheim Digital Media, which comes complete with "significant capital to acquire and invest in new media companies." The private equity shop already owns Billboard, Hollywood Reporter, and Adweek.

AllThingsD has reported that AOL expressed interest in acquiring it in the past, but said those talks "were preliminary at best."

Calls to AllThingsD were referred to a News Corp representative who declined comment. A Conde Nast representative declined comment. Calls to Hearst were not immediately returned. Calls and emails to Ross Levinsohn were not returned.

While AllThingsD is recognized as the brainchild of Swisher and Mossberg, News Corp actually owns the website and its name. However, according to provisions in their contract, Swisher and Mossberg have approval authority over any sale, the first source said.

Technically, News Corp could retain the AllThingsD name in the event of a sale, forcing Swisher and Mossberg to start a new venture under a different brand name. But historically in these types of situations a deal is usually worked out to allow the founders to take the company name with them as part of a settlement.

Sources described the website and conference business combined as profitable. It has grown into a technology industry must-read, and features a popular conference division known for snagging A-list corporate executives for intimate interview sessions. Apple's Steve Jobs, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and virtually every other major technology executive has spoken at the D Conference, as it is known.

Earlier this week, AllThingsD's well-regarded media writer, Peter Kafka, led a media-centric conference for the website that included panels with Intel's Erik Huggers, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, and Netflix's programming boss Ted Sarandos, among others.

The website has two more conferences on the docket for this year: a mobile one that was postponed until April due to Hurricane Sandy, and the main D Conference in May.

Sources described the relationship between News Corp and AllThingsD as amicable but stressed.

"Like all partnership, there could be more cooperation between the two," said one source. "There is tension between AllThingsD and the Wall Street Journal, for example."

As a result of management changes, over the last few years the website has reported to numerous News Corp executives, among them Gordon Crovitz, Les Hinton, and now Lex Fenwick and Robert Thomson.

Should the two sides reach a deal on a new contract, AllThingsD would be included as part of the publishing unit in the News Corp split.

(Additional reporting by Jennifer Saba; Editing by David Gregorio)

(This story corrects the 10th paragraph to show source said website is profitable in combination with conference business, instead of website is profitable. Corrects spelling of Erik Huggers name in paragraph 11 to Erik, from Eric)

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Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) appears on the U.S. Capitol steps in Washington December 2, 2011.

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO | Fri Feb 15, 2013 8:49pm EST

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - Former Chicago congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., son of the famed civil rights leader, plans to plead guilty to charges filed on Friday accusing him of misusing $750,000 in campaign funds, his attorney said.

Jackson's wife, Sandi Jackson, has also agreed to plead guilty to a related charge of filing false tax returns, according to her attorneys. She resigned her seat on the Chicago city council last month.

Both Jacksons, once considered one of the most powerful couples in the city, issued statements accepting responsibility.

"I offer no excuses for my conduct and I fully accept my responsibility for the improper decisions and mistakes I have made," said Jesse Jackson Jr, a Democrat, in his statement. He faces fraud and conspiracy charges.

Jackson's wife said in a statement that she was "deeply sorry" for her actions.

Once considered one of the most promising black politicians in the United States, Jesse Jackson Jr. resigned his congressional seat on November 21 for health reasons, acknowledging at the time that he was under investigation by the FBI.

Jackson was once talked about as having the potential to become the first black president, noted Andy Shaw, president and CEO of the Chicago-based Better Government Association.

"Instead of heading for the White House, he is heading for the big house, and that is an enormous fall from grace," Shaw said in a radio interview on WBBM-AM.

Jackson's father, a former presidential candidate, was not immediately available for comment.

Prosecutors said at least seven people were involved in the scheme to divert campaign funds to personal uses.

Among the accusations is that Jesse Jackson, Jr. shipped a $43,350 men's Rolex watch purchased with campaign funds to his D.C. address. He also shipped fur capes and parkas purchased with $5,150 in campaign funds to the Beverly Hills home of an unnamed person, the documents said.

As part of the case, the government said Jackson must forfeit tens of thousands of dollars in celebrity memorabilia derived from the alleged crimes, including a $4,600 fedora that once belonged to late pop star Michael Jackson.

Under federal sentencing guidelines, if convicted, Jackson faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and his wife three years, but defendants who accept responsibility are typically sentenced to much less than the maximum term.

JACKSON'S ABSENCE

Jackson disappeared from public view early in the summer of 2012 and speculation swirled for weeks about his condition. He said in late June he had taken a leave of absence two weeks earlier for treatment of what was then described as exhaustion.

Jackson issued a statement in early July saying his health problems were more serious and he needed extended in-patient treatment for unspecified "physical and emotional ailments."

Days later, his physician said the congressman was receiving intensive care for a "mood disorder" and was expected to make a full recovery. The Mayo Clinic announced in late July that Jackson had been admitted.

He was treated for at least six weeks at Mayo for bipolar disorder, sometimes called manic depression, which is marked by highs and lows of mood and can be treated by medication and psychological counseling.

Representative Danny Davis, another Chicago Democrat, said he believed the alleged offenses were related to the disorder, the symptoms of which can include reckless behavior, such as spending sprees.

"It's kind of beyond one's imagination," Davis told Reuters. "A $5,000 football - that's kind of bizarre. It's so sad and so unfortunate."

Jackson made it to Congress in 1995 after winning a special election triggered by the resignation of Representative Mel Reynolds, who was convicted of sexual assault, obstruction of justice and solicitation of child pornography. Reynolds is now vying for the seat again in a February 26 Democratic primary.

Jackson was a reliable liberal vote during his 17-year House career, supporting increases in the minimum wage, the expansion of environmental regulations and gay rights and, in 2008, the bailout of the teetering U.S. financial system.

He was also an early advocate of a strict timeline for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. He was easily re-elected in November 2012, despite his absence from the district. His resignation came two weeks after the election.

In addition to the federal investigation of his campaign finances, Jackson had been the subject of a House ethics committee probe over an alleged bribe offered by a Jackson supporter in 2008 to then-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

The bribe was said to be intended to entice Blagojevich to appoint Jackson to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama. Jackson has admitted to lobbying for the seat, but denied knowing about any money offered to Blagojevich, who has since been convicted of corruption and imprisoned.

(Reporting by David Ingram in Washington, D.C., and Mary Wisniewski in Chicago; Editing by David Brunnstrom)

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NEW YORK | Sat Feb 16, 2013 2:03pm EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Natural gas from a well being drilled by Apache Corporation in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico has flowed underground, leading U.S. regulators to order the company to prepare to drill a relief well to control the flow if necessary, the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said.

Apache shut in the well on February 5 after it had a "kick" upon encountering a zone of "abnormally pressured" natural gas while drilling, the company said in a statement on its website.

A kick commonly refers to a temporary loss of control over the well due to higher than anticipated pressures being encountered while drilling, leading to fluids or gas flowing into the well.

Non-essential personnel have been evacuated from the Ensco Plc drilling rig Ensco 87 and no gas or oil has leaked into the Gulf of Mexico, Apache said.

The incident occurred in shallow waters in Main Pass block 295, approximately 50 miles east of Venice, Louisiana.

Apache is moving another rig it has under contract owned by drilling firm Rowan Companies Plc to the site to drill a relief well if necessary to stop the gas from flowing underground.

A relief well is typically used to stop an uncontrolled flow of gas or fluids from a well when other methods fail.

(Editing by Vicki Allen)

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BEIJING | Mon Feb 18, 2013 4:48am EST

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group is favoured to secure a majority stake in troubled U.S. electric car maker Fisker Automotive, according to two sources familiar with Fisker's search for a strategic investor or partner.

Fisker, the Anaheim-based plug-in hybrid maker, is currently weighing bids from two Chinese auto makers: Geely, the owner of Sweden's Volvo, and state-owned Dongfeng Motor Group Co..

The interest in Fisker reflects China's strong push into alternative fuel cars as it seeks to foster the green technology sector and clear the increasingly polluted skies of its cities.

The knowledgeable individuals said both offers, which Fisker received in the last three weeks, were worth between $200 million to $300 million. A deal would give the suitors a majority stake in the southern Californian company, they said.

The sources, who are close to Fisker, said Geely appeared to be the preferred suitor.

Fisker's corporate leaders and their advisers believe Geely is "more serious" and "passionate" about Fisker and its technology, one of the individuals said.

The Hangzhou-based company also "can move fast" in making decisions -- unlike Dongfeng, whose responsiveness could be hampered by its multi-layered decision-making structure typical in a Chinese state-owned enterprise, the source said.

That quality is likely to work against Dongfeng, since Fisker is under a tight deadline to find a suitor, he added.

"Most of all, with Geely we're dealing with one decision maker," the individual said, referring to its charismatic founder and chairman, Li Shufu.

Geely's Li is also deemed a better suitor due to his experience in making cross-border acquisitions. In 2010, Geely acquired all of Volvo from its previous owner Ford Motor Co.

"Overall, we think Geely is a better fit," the knowledgeable individual said.

The sources noted that Geely had already sent a team of engineers to Anaheim to evaluate Fisker and its technology for battery-powered electric cars with a small gasoline engine used to extend the car's driving range.

Victor Yang, a Geely spokesman in Hangzhou, said: "we are not in position to comment on this at the moment."

Dongfeng also declined to comment. "Dongfeng pays attention to all potential opportunities of international cooperation to cope with future market development both at home and abroad," said spokesman Zhou Mi in an email on Monday.

INTEREST FROM EUROPE, SOUTH KOREA

Fisker -- the producer of the $100,000-plus Karma which it began selling in late 2011 -- fielded interest from several companies including from both South Korea and Europe.

But it received only two firm bids, from Geely and Dongfeng, the sources said. Fisker is hoping to sew up a deal by mid-March, another person said.

Any deal is likely to also involve another Chinese player, Wanxiang Group, an auto parts maker that has purchased bankrupt U.S. lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems, Fisker's primary battery supplier. A Wanxiang executive declined to comment.

"The company has received detailed proposals from multiple parties in different continents which are now being evaluated by the company and its advisors," Fisker spokesman Roger Ormisher said in an email over the weekend.

He declined to comment further.

A strategic pact would give Fisker the funds to start building its second and more affordable model, the Atlantic plug-in hybrid, which is expected to start at around $55,000 and be Fisker's high-volume vehicle.

Over the last several months, Fisker Chief Executive Tony Posawatz and other Fisker executives have traveled to Europe and Asia to meet investors and automotive makers.

The two bids Fisker is weighing now stem from the trip to Asia that Posawatz and his top executives made in late January.

During that trip, they traveled to Hangzhou, where Geely is based, to meet its chairman Li and his technology chief, Frank Zhao. They also traveled to Wuhan for a meeting with top executives from Dongfeng and then to Beijing for a meeting with Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co.

The search for financial backers comes after a tough 2012 marred by the rocky and delayed introduction of Fisker's Karma, A123's bankruptcy and an election season that turned the U.S. government-backed company into a political punching bag.

(Additional reporting by Li Ran in Beijing and Deepa Seetharaman in Detroit; Editing by Alex Richardson)

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1 of 2. U.S. President Barack Obama (3rd L) hugs Sarah Davino (L) and Mary Davino (2nd L), as he awards the Presidential Citizens Medal posthumously to their family member Rachel Davino, a teacher who gave her life in the Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut in December, in the East Room at the White House in Washington, February 15, 2013.

WASHINGTON | Fri Feb 15, 2013 2:53pm EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama marked a poignant moment in his push to curb gun violence as he awarded presidential medals posthumously on Friday to six educators killed in the Newtown school massacre, saying they gave their lives to protect "the most innocent and helpless among us."

Consoling tearful relatives as they stepped on stage at the White House, Obama paid homage to the four teachers and two administrators killed in the December 14 shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, a tragedy that sparked nationwide calls for tighter gun control laws.

Though Obama made no public mention of his gun-control drive, the solemn ceremony unfolded against the backdrop of vocal resistance from gun advocates and their supporters on Capitol Hill to any new restrictions. In private, however, the president was said to have assured victims' relatives: "We're really trying to get something done."

As Obama handed out the Presidential Citizens Medals, the nation's second-highest civilian honor, he focused on the slain women's courage. Twenty first-graders were also killed in the attack, which was carried out by 20-year-old Adam Lanza.

They came to school that morning with "no idea that evil was about to strike," Obama told the audience. "And when it did they could have taken shelter by themselves, they could have focused on their own safety, on their own well-being, but they didn't."

"They gave their lives to protect the precious children in their care and gave all they had for the most innocent and helpless among us. That's what we honor today."

Obama, who has called the day of the mass shooting the worst of his presidency, is moving swiftly to try to build momentum for gun control legislation. He even used his otherwise policy-heavy State of the Union address on Tuesday night to make an impassioned appeal for lawmakers to act.

But he faces an uphill battle against a powerful pro-gun lobby and a strong U.S. tradition of hunting and gun ownership. The right to bear arms is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.

Principal Dawn Hochsprung, school psychologist Mary Sherlach and teachers Rachel D'Avino, Lauren Rousseau, Anne Marie Murphy and Victoria Soto were killed in the attack.

SPECIAL ATTENTION TO NEWTOWN FAMILIES

At the same time as Obama paid tribute to the Sandy Hook educators, he honored a dozen other Americans in fields that included child development, gay rights, military veterans assistance, immigrant outreach and helping disabled women. They were selected from among nearly 6,000 nominations.

But he gave special attention to the Newtown victims, wrapping mothers and daughters in his arms as the families stood one-by-one to accept the medals.

Hochsprung's mother wiped away tears as she was handed the award. The 47-year-old principal was shot dead reportedly when she sought to confront the shooter after hearing gunshots.

D'Avino's sister, Sarah, who recounted Obama's closed-door comment, said his meeting with the families contrasted with his visit to grief-stricken Newtown in December in the aftermath of the massacre, when he carefully avoided discussing the fraught politics of gun control.

"What he said today is that we're really trying for you," she told reporters after the ceremony in the East Room. Her 29-year-old sister provided behavioral therapy at the school.

D'Avino acknowledged the political hurdles but insisted they could be overcome.

"I don't think anyone is insinuating we're trying to take away every single gun in the country. But there is no reason this kid was able to fire off as many rounds as he did, in as little time as he did," she said. "Nobody is protecting their home with a Bushmaster and a 30-round clip, I'm sorry. They are not."

Sherlach's husband Bill blew a kiss toward the heavens and patted his heart as he stood with Obama. "There needs to be a number of things addressed - gun safety, mental health, school safety and parenting," he said later outside the White House.

With a packed second-term agenda that includes immigration reform and climate change, Obama - who has pledged to use the full power of his office to secure tougher gun laws - is seeking progress on the issue before painful memories of December's shooting fade from the public's consciousness.

His push for reinstatement of a ban on assault rifles is seen as possibly the toughest sell in a country where many Americans see gun control as an infringement of their rights.

Obama's call for criminal background checks for all gun buyers is seen having the best chance of winning over Republicans, but that proposal also faces opposition.

The influential National Rifle Association has launched a major advertising campaign against Obama's gun proposals and deployed its lobbyists in force on Capitol Hill.

(Additional reporting by Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Vicki Allen and David Brunnstrom)

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Irrigation units are pictured in southwest Kansas near Dodge City, Kansas, November 26, 2012. Residents of the Great Plains over the last year or so have experienced storms reminiscent of the 1930s Dust Bowl. Experts say the new storms have been brought on by a combination of historic drought, a dwindling Ogallala Aquifer underground water supply, climate change and government farm programs. Picture taken November 26.

WASHINGTON | Fri Feb 15, 2013 4:12pm EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. farmers will plant crops this spring under the shadow of a persistent drought that grips prime farmland from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, with grain supplies already tight from drought losses in 2012.

In all, 56 percent of the contiguous United States is under moderate to exceptional drought, twice the usual amount, the Senate Agriculture Committee was told on Thursday.

Arid weather was expected to run until May in the wheat-growing Plains and in the western Corn Belt, where corn and soybeans are the major crops.

"In fact, we are forecasting drier conditions," said Roger Pulwarty, director of the National Integrated Drought Information System, a federal agency. Above-normal rainfall benefited the southern Plains at the start of this year.

Wheat, corn and soybeans are the most widely grown U.S. crops and form the foundation of the U.S. food supply. They are used in livestock rations and as ingredients in food ranging from salad dressing to bread, breakfast cereal and cookies.

MOST OF WINTER WHEAT IS UNDER DROUGHT

Some 59 percent of winter wheat was under drought conditions, said Joe Glauber, Agriculture Department chief economist. "While that also implies that spring planting may be affected by drought conditions as well, there have been improvements in the eastern Corn Belt, where many areas are no longer experiencing drought."

With adequate rainfall during the growing season, U.S. yields will rebound to normal levels, leading to bumper corn and soybean crops. In turn, commodity prices would fall as near-empty grains bins are filled. The corn stockpile is expected to be smallest in 17 years by harvest-time this year.

The government's three-month outlook says drought will persist in the central and southern Plains and the U.S. Southwest while easing in Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Dakotas.

Most of U.S. cattle and hay production areas are under drought conditions, said Glauber. Ranchers and cattle feeders culled herds as pastures withered and feed costs soared in 2012.

"Particularly for cattle producers, the next four to five months are critical," said Glauber. "Hopefully, some spring rains to get pasture conditions back up" while abundant crops in the fall "should help relieve feed prices."

ONLY 1934 DROUGHT WAS WORSE THAN 2012

The 2012 drought ranks second to 1934 as the most widespread and severe drought, said Pulwarty. But in the Midwest, 2012 was the driest summer on record with half of the usual rainfall.

Crop insurers paid a record $14.2 billion as of Monday for crop losses in 2012, almost all due to drought. The old record was $10.8 billion in 2011, also a drought year.

Indemnities could total as high as $16 billion or $17 billion when all claims are settled, said Glauber. USDA oversees the federally subsidized insurance program.

"The western Corn Belt remains dry, no doubt about it," Glauber said after the hearing. He said rainfall and temperatures in late summer, when corn and soybeans mature, are far more important than early-season moisture levels in determining yield.

"It's still very, very early," he said.

(Reporting By Charles Abbott; editing by Gunna Dickson)

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