Today's Reuters World News Headlines - Yahoo! News:
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Mexico massacre highlights unknown drug war victims
Mon,14 May 2012 07:33 PM PDT
Reuters - MONTERREY (Reuters) - Even if someone had not chopped the heads, hands and feet off the victims first, the chances of investigators identifying the 49 bodies dumped on a road in northern Mexico this weekend would have been far from certain. Catching the killers may prove an even harder task. More than 8,000 corpses left across Mexico since 2006 have not been identified, according to the National Human Rights Commission, a government-run body. ... Full Story | Top |
U.S. mulling sending Afghanistan general to head Europe troops
Mon,14 May 2012 07:23 PM PDT
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is considering sending its top general in Afghanistan, who commands U.S. and NATO troops there during a crucial withdrawal period, to head U.S. forces in Europe this winter. A U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity said that Marine General John Allen, who took over command of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan in July 2011, was under initial consideration to become head of U.S. European command this winter, noting such plans were preliminary and could change. "Allen is one of the most widely respected leaders in the military. ...
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Mexico massacre highlights unknown drug war victims
Mon,14 May 2012 07:03 PM PDT
Reuters -  MONTERREY (Reuters) - Even if someone had not chopped the heads, hands and feet off the victims first, the chances of investigators identifying the 49 bodies dumped on a road in northern Mexico this weekend would have been far from certain. Catching the killers may prove an even harder task. More than 8,000 corpses left across Mexico since 2006 have not been identified, according to the National Human Rights Commission, a government-run body. ...
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Ron Paul stops campaigning for White House
Mon,14 May 2012 05:35 PM PDT
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul effectively ended his White House bid on Monday, saying he would no longer campaign actively in states that have yet to hold primary elections. Instead, Paul's campaign will concentrate on trying to add to its tally of delegates to the Republican National Convention in August by sending large groups of supporters to state conventions to elect themselves to delegate slots. "Our campaign will continue to work in the state convention process. ...
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Fed examining other risks being taken by JPMorgan
Mon,14 May 2012 04:56 PM PDT
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve is examining whether JPMorgan Chase & Co is taking risks elsewhere in the bank similar to the botched trading strategy that could cost the bank more than $2 billion, a Fed spokeswoman said on Monday. The central bank is also reviewing whether the trading losses have any broader implications for how JPMorgan manages its risk, the spokeswoman said. Regulators and bank officials are determining the exact details behind trades JPMorgan says were intended as hedges against credit risk but that could wind up costing the bank more than $2 billion. ... Full Story | Top |
Obama says JPMorgan loss shows need for Wall Street reform
Mon,14 May 2012 03:49 PM PDT
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Monday the huge trading loss at JPMorgan Chase & Co illustrated the need for Wall Street reform and the same kind of an error at a less stable bank may have required government intervention. "JPMorgan is one of the best managed banks there is. Jamie Dimon, the head of it, is one of the smartest bankers we got and they still lost $2 billion and counting," Obama said on ABC's "The View," according to a transcript released by the network. "We don't know all the details. ...
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Seven UN peacekeepers shot at Congo protest
Mon,14 May 2012 03:43 PM PDT
Reuters - KINSHASA (Reuters) - Seven United Nations peacekeepers in Congo were wounded when gunmen opened fire at a protest in the East of the country on Monday, drawing condemnation from the U.N. Security Council. There were no details on the condition of the peacekeepers, who the U.N. Security Council said were from Pakistan. Several more peacekeepers in the contingent were injured by stone throwers when a base in South Kivu province was surrounded by crowd of 1,000 people, the United Nations said. "The seven wounded peacekeepers have been taken to Goma, North Kivu, for medical treatment," U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
U.N., Syria at odds over control of aid distribution: envoys
Mon,14 May 2012 03:41 PM PDT
Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Damascus wants to manage the delivery of all humanitarian aid to a million people in need of assistance as a result of the 14-month-old conflict in Syria, but the United Nations insists on having some control, envoys say. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Syria have been negotiating for weeks on a plan for the distribution of aid throughout the country, but U.N. envoys familiar with the talks said the government and the U.N. agency are deadlocked on the issue of who will be in charge. ... Full Story | Top |
Libyan Islamist quits militia to enter politics: aide
Mon,14 May 2012 03:40 PM PDT
Reuters -  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Abdel Hakim Belhadj, one of Libya's most powerful militia leaders, is quitting to devote himself full-time to politics, an aide said on Monday, in a vote of confidence for the fragile transition from rebellion to democracy. Belhadj, a former Islamist militant who helped topple former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in last year's revolt, is to resign his post as head of the Tripoli Military Council and set up a political party, his aide said. ...
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Hollande to be sworn in as new French president
Mon,14 May 2012 03:27 PM PDT
Reuters -  PARIS (Reuters) - Francois Hollande will be sworn in as France's first Socialist president in 17 years in a hurried ceremony on Tuesday before a dash to Berlin to challenge German Chancellor Angela Merkel's focus on austerity policies. Hollande, whose election comes as the euro zone is teetering back into crisis with fears about Greece's future in the single currency, will give his first presidential news conference in Berlin in the evening, flanked by the centre-right Merkel. ...
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Maybe Europe should abandon euro: Flaherty
Mon,14 May 2012 03:13 PM PDT
Reuters -  OTTAWA (Reuters) - If European countries are not prepared to bail out fellow euro zone members, maybe they should just abandon the whole concept of a common currency, Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Monday in some of his most direct remarks on the issue. "This is a time of crisis in the euro zone. The whole future of the euro zone is up for grabs, and this is very important for many of the euro zone member countries, given the history of Europe in the last 100 years or so," Flaherty told CTV television. "So they have to show courage. ...
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Greek leftists reject proposal for technocrat government
Mon,14 May 2012 03:04 PM PDT
Reuters -  ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's president will ask politicians on Tuesday to stand aside and let a government of technocrats steer the nation away from bankruptcy, but leftists have already rejected the proposal and look set to force a new election they reckon they can win. Party leaders, deadlocked since a parliamentary vote nine days ago, will convene at the presidential palace at 2 p.m. (1100 GMT) but said they had little hope President Karolos Papoulias's offer would resolve a political crisis that has fuelled speculation Greece's days in the euro zone are numbered. ...
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Similarities may push Merkel, Hollande together
Mon,14 May 2012 03:03 PM PDT
Reuters -  BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) - Five years ago, Nicolas Sarkozy flew straight to Berlin after his inauguration and shocked his hosts with some blunt talk on planemaker Airbus, one of the most sensitive of Franco-German issues. That first visit set the tone for the months that followed. German officials looked on in horror as the new French president reneged on budget pledges, announced plans for nuclear cooperation with Libya and claimed credit for influencing decisions by the European Central Bank. ...
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Mexico massacre highlights unknown drug war victims
Mon,14 May 2012 02:53 PM PDT
Reuters - MONTERREY (Reuters) - Even if someone had not chopped the heads, hands and feet off the victims first, the chances of investigators identifying the 49 bodies dumped on a road in northern Mexico this weekend would have been far from certain. Catching the killers may prove an even harder task. More than 8,000 corpses left across Mexico since 2006 have not been identified, according to the National Human Rights Commission, a government-run body. ... Full Story | Top |
Analysis: Sharks circle McClendon's Chesapeake
Mon,14 May 2012 02:43 PM PDT
Reuters -  HOUSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chesapeake Energy Corp's increasing shift from bank loans to costly funding is raising fresh questions about how long the spigot of cash will remain open and whether the company can sell enough assets quickly enough to pay for day-to-day operations. The company's problems were brought into sharp focus Monday when CEO Aubrey McClendon, who has a reputation for scrambling to close financing deals, told skeptical stock and bond holders how his company will use a loan from Jefferies & Co. and Goldman Sachs to pay down a $4 billion loan commitment from banks. ...
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Mexico candidate blames opposition as bodies pile up
Mon,14 May 2012 02:32 PM PDT
Reuters -  VERACRUZ, Mexico (Reuters) - The main opposition political party is at the root of the violence engulfing Mexico, ruling party presidential candidate Josefina Vazquez Mota said after one of the worst atrocities in the country's drug war. Fighting to close a big gap with Enrique Pena Nieto, the front-runner for the July 1 election, Vazquez Mota sharpened her attacks on his Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, saying it had made life easy for brutal drug traffickers in Mexico. ...
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Canada says maybe Europe should give up euro zone
Mon,14 May 2012 02:29 PM PDT
Reuters - OTTAWA (Reuters) - If European countries are not prepared to bail out fellow euro zone members, maybe they should just abandon the whole concept of a common currency, Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Monday in some of his most direct remarks on the issue. "This is a time of crisis in the euro zone. The whole future of the euro zone is up for grabs, and this is very important for many of the euro zone member countries, given the history of Europe in the last 100 years or so," Flaherty told CTV television. "So they have to show courage. ... Full Story | Top |
TSX breaches key level, hits 2012 low
Mon,14 May 2012 02:13 PM PDT
Reuters - TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's resource-heavy main stock index tumbled to a 2012 low on Monday with mining and energy firms selling off as investors fretted about the impact of worsening political turmoil in Greece and signs of weakening Chinese growth. Greece's anti-bailout, radical leftist SYRIZA party rejected a proposal by the country's president for the creation of a government of technocrats to avoid a repeat election in a few weeks, escalating worries Greece could leave the euro zone. ... Full Story | Top |
Factbox: Gulf Arab countries' population, economy, military
Mon,14 May 2012 01:58 PM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council met in Riyadh on Monday to discuss closer political economic and military union to counter what they see as growing external threats of the Arab Spring and Iran's regional influence. The GCC was formed in 1981 in the wake of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war, by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. POPULATION Combined, the six GCC states have a population of around 43.2 million, roughly half of Egypt's total population. Of those the majority are Sunni Muslim. ... Full Story | Top |
Gulf Arabs delay talk of union at Riyadh meeting
Mon,14 May 2012 01:58 PM PDT
Reuters -  RIYADH (Reuters) - Gulf Arab countries failed to agree on further integration on Monday after a high-profile summit seen as part of Saudi efforts to counter Iran's growing influence and Shi'ite Muslim discontent in Bahrain. Gulf politicians had played up the idea that the Riyadh meeting would establish closer union between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, which sent troops in March last year to help Manama in an initial effort to squash the uprising. ...
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Canadian banks introduce mobile payment guidelines
Mon,14 May 2012 01:35 PM PDT
Reuters - TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian banks presented a blueprint on Monday that will enable consumers to pay for goods with a tap of their smartphones, as financial institutions seek to take advantage of existing infrastructure that can support mobile payments. Thousands of Canadian retailers already have the necessary equipment for mobile payments and the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA), a trade body, introduced the voluntary guidelines as a way of setting open standards for secure transactions over smartphones, which will be used as "tap-and-go" credit or debit cards. ... Full Story | Top |
BCE hit with lawsuit over pre-pay expiry
Mon,14 May 2012 01:02 PM PDT
Reuters - TORONTO (Reuters) - BCE Inc, Canada's biggest telecommunications company, faces a C$100 million ($99.8 million) lawsuit challenging the legality of expiration dates for its pre-paid wireless services. The lawsuit is being brought by Celia Sankar, who alleges that BCE, which sells cellular service under the Bell Mobility, Virgin Mobile and Solo brands, is engaged in "unfair practices" and breaches of contract by seizing credit balances left unused after a certain date. Sankar argues the pre-payments should be considered gift cards, which under Ontario provincial law cannot have an expiry date. ... Full Story | Top |
Rebels kill 23 Syrian soldiers, opposition snubs Arab talks
Mon,14 May 2012 01:00 PM PDT
Reuters -  AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian rebels killed 23 government soldiers on Monday, activists said, and efforts to find a viable political alternative to Bashar al-Assad faltered when an opposition group said it would boycott Arab-backed talks to unite its splintered ranks. The latest bloodshed centered in the town of Rastan, where opposition sources said President Assad's forces killed nine other people, further unraveling a month-old U.N. ceasefire pact that is being overseen by international monitors. ...
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Germanophile tipped as French prime minister
Mon,14 May 2012 12:58 PM PDT
Reuters -  PARIS (Reuters) - German-speaker Jean-Marc Ayrault, tipped to be named France's prime minister on Tuesday, is a veteran parliament leader whose familiarity with Germany and deal-making skills may prove invaluable as his Socialist government seeks to challenge Berlin's focus on austerity. The stately, silver-haired Ayrault - a former German teacher and long-time ally of president-elect Francois Hollande - has made pragmatism his hallmark in holding together the Socialists' fractious parliamentary group as its floor leader since 1997. ...
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Albania gay activists cycle to call for rights
Mon,14 May 2012 12:55 PM PDT
Reuters - TIRANA (Reuters) - A dozen gay and lesbian activists cycled through Albania's capital on Monday, holding a daring gay rights demonstration in a country which aspires to join the European Union but where conservative values are still deeply entrenched. Activists shelved plans for a larger, gay pride parade to coincide with International Day Against Homophobia on Thursday after a deputy defense minister said they should be beaten with thick sticks. Accompanied by police, the cyclists had barely begun their rain-soaked protest when hooded youths threw homemade tube bombs at them. ... Full Story | Top |
Watson book calls Murdoch empire a "shadow state"
Mon,14 May 2012 12:40 PM PDT
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - "Dial M For Murdoch: News Corporation and the Corruption of Britain" is among the more provocatively titled books about Rupert Murdoch, the controversial head of global news conglomerate News Corp, owner of FOX News, the Wall Street Journal and other media brands. ... Full Story | Top |
West African nations to send troops to Bissau in days
Mon,14 May 2012 12:22 PM PDT
Reuters -  ABUJA (Reuters) - West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS will deploy troops to Guinea Bissau by Friday to oversee reform of the local army and a gradual one-year transition to civilian rule after an April 12 coup, Nigeria said on Monday. But the move was denounced by Guinea Bissau's main political party PAIGC, which wants an immediate return to civilian rule and accused ECOWAS of giving legitimacy to the coup leaders. ...
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Exclusive: EU to lodge suit against Argentina with WTO
Mon,14 May 2012 12:20 PM PDT
Reuters -  MADRID (Reuters) - The European Union has agreed to file a trade suit against Argentina's import restrictions with the World Trade Organization (WTO), a senior Spanish government source said on Monday. The suit is not directly linked to Argentine President Cristina Fernandez's decision to seize control of its biggest oil company, YPF, a subsidiary of Spain's Repsol. But the move last month played a role in the EU's decision, the source told Reuters. ...
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Hague prosecutor seeks new warrants for Congo war crimes
Mon,14 May 2012 12:15 PM PDT
Reuters - AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Hague war crimes prosecutor announced new charges on Monday against a Democratic Republic of Congo general accused of conscripting child fighters and an arrest warrant for a militia leader. Luis Moreno-Ocampo of the International Criminal Court said he has asked for additional charges to be filed against Bosco Ntaganda, who is wanted in The Hague for war crimes, and has requested an arrest warrant for Sylvestre Mudacumura, the leader of FDLR militia operating in the Kivu provinces in the DRC. "Both arrests would be instrumental to making peace in the Great Lakes area. ... Full Story | Top |
Ireland warns of Greek threat as yields climb
Mon,14 May 2012 12:01 PM PDT
Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Rising concerns that Greece could leave or be driven out of the euro zone pushed Irish bond yields higher on Monday, potentially complicating Dublin's plans to return to international bond markets later this year. Irish 10-year government bond yields, a measure of the risk associated with investing in Ireland, nudged briefly above 7 percent on Monday on the back of market speculation that Greece could decide to leave the single currency bloc. If Irish bond yields remain above 7 percent for an extended period, it could hamper plans to return to the market. ... Full Story | Top |
Greek leftist SYRIZA rejects proposal for technocrat government
Mon,14 May 2012 11:59 AM PDT
Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's anti-bailout, radical leftist SYRIZA party rejected on Monday a proposal by the country's president for the creation of a government of technocrats to avoid a repeat election in a few weeks. "We will attend the meeting (with the president). But we are sticking to our position. We don't want to consent to any kind of bailout policies even if they are implemented by non-political personalities," SYRIZA spokesman Panos Skourletis told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
CEO probe forces Best Buy founder out as chairman
Mon,14 May 2012 11:47 AM PDT
Reuters -  (Reuters) - Best Buy Co Inc founder Richard Schulze is stepping down as chairman after he failed to tell the board that a former chief executive had an improper relationship with a female employee, the electronics retailer said on Monday. Best Buy said the board's investigation had found that former CEO Brian Dunn's relationship "negatively impacted the work environment," but involved no misuse of company resources. "I understand and accept the findings of the Audit Committee," Schulze said in a statement. ...
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Arab League postpones Syria opposition meeting
Mon,14 May 2012 11:26 AM PDT
Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - The Arab League has postponed a Syrian opposition meeting it was due to host in Cairo this week in response to a request from Syrian opposition groups, the Arab League said in a statement on Monday. The meeting had been scheduled to take place on Wednesday and Thursday. The statement from the Arab League said the postponement had been at the request of the Syrian National Council and the National Coordination Body. (Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Michael Roddy) Full Story | Top |
Palestinian inmates agree to end hunger strike
Mon,14 May 2012 11:19 AM PDT
Reuters -  GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails agreed on Monday to an Egyptian-brokered deal aimed at ending a mass hunger strike that challenged Israel's policy of detention without trial and raised fears of a bloody Palestinian backlash if any protesters died. Most of some 1,600 prisoners, a third of the 4,800 Palestinians in Israeli jails, began refusing food on April 17 although a few had been fasting much longer - up to 77 days. ...
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Militants blow up Yemen gas pipeline again
Mon,14 May 2012 11:17 AM PDT
Reuters - SANAA (Reuters) - Suspected Islamist militants blew up a gas pipeline in eastern Yemen on Monday for the third time in recent months and a bomb in Sanaa killed one person, as the government ratcheted up its campaign against al Qaeda linked insurgents in the south. The latest attack will likely delay plans to resume LNG output which had been halted by another attack in April claimed by Islamist militants. The $4.5 billion Yemen LNG project has two production trains with a combined capacity of 6.7 million tonnes per year, supplying mainly to Asia, and then to Europe and Americas. ... Full Story | Top |
Ex-Murdoch confidante to learn phone-hacking fate
Mon,14 May 2012 11:11 AM PDT
Reuters -  LONDON (Reuters) - Rebekah Brooks, a former top lieutenant in Rupert Murdoch's media empire, will learn on Tuesday whether she will be charged as part of a phone-hacking scandal at one of his British newspapers. Police launched an investigation in January last year into allegations that journalists at the News of the World tabloid regularly hacked the voicemails of phones of people from celebrities and politicians to victims of crime. ...
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Greek Socialist leader says not optimistic about forming coalition
Mon,14 May 2012 11:01 AM PDT
Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos said on Monday he was not optimistic that a coalition government could be formed a week after an inconclusive election but urged all parties participating in talks to fight until a solution was reached. "Things are very difficult. I'm not optimistic," Venizelos said after a second day of talks between party leaders and the country's president foundered over disagreement about an international bailout keeping the country afloat. ... Full Story | Top |
Five dead, dozens wounded in Lebanon clashes: medics
Mon,14 May 2012 10:47 AM PDT
Reuters - TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - Five people were killed and more than 70 wounded in clashes between Alawite supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Sunni Muslims in the Lebanese city of Tripoli, medical sources said on Monday. Fierce clashes shook the northern port city overnight and sporadic fighting continued on Monday, as fighters holed up in bullet-scarred buildings fired machineguns and rocket propelled grenades. ... Full Story | Top |
Forty-nine headless corpses found in northern Mexico
Mon,14 May 2012 10:45 AM PDT
Reuters -  CADEREYTA JIMENEZ, Mexico (Reuters) - Suspected drug cartel killers in Mexico dumped 49 headless bodies on a highway near the northern city of Monterrey, a sickening atrocity that prompted the government to condemn the "inhuman" violence plaguing the country. The corpses of 43 men and six women, whose hands and feet had also been cut off, were found in a pile on a highway in the municipality of Cadereyta Jimenez early on Sunday, officials from the state of Nuevo Leon said. ...
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Hague prosecutor seeks new warrants for Congo atrocities
Mon,14 May 2012 10:41 AM PDT
Reuters - AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court said on Monday he has requested new arrest warrants related to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The ICC prosecutor said he has requested that additional charges are filed against Bosco Ntaganda, who already is wanted by The Hague war crimes court. The prosecutor added that he also has requested an arrest warrant for Sylvestre Mudacumura, the leader of FDLR militia operating in the Kivu provinces in the Congo. (Reporting by Sara Webb; Editing by Michael Roddy) Full Story | Top |
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