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US President Barack Obama on Friday gave the Pentagon a year to fix the scourge of sexual assaults that have sparked calls for commanders to lose the power to adjudicate such crimes. The military in August launched a raft of new measures to combat sexual assaults, but their action did not appease some lawmakers who want much stronger measures to deal with hundreds of alleged offenses from harassment to rape. Obama, who has previously warned that sexual assaults harm military morale and US national security, said in a written statement that he had told Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey to continue efforts to prevent and deal with assaults. "If I do not see the kind of progress I expect, then we will consider additional reforms that may be required to eliminate this crime from our military ranks and protect our brave service members who stand guard for us every day at home and around the world."

Investment bank Morgan Stanley Friday announced plans to sell part of its commodity business to Russian oil giant Rosneft for an undisclosed sum. The transaction covers Morgan Stanley's "global oil merchanting" business, which engages in global storage, trading and transportation of oil and petroleum products. While the deal includes physical holdings of oil and refined products associated with existing contracts, it does not include Morgan Stanley's stake in oil pipeline and terminal company TransMontaigne, the bank said. Morgan Stanley said it is "exploring strategic options" for the TransMontaigne stake.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan will get to spend more time outside a mental hospital where he has been confined for most of the past three decades, a judge ruled Friday.