| | |
| Venezuela prison riot kills dozens: report Friday, Jan 25, 2013 08:08 PM PST CARACAS (Reuters) - A jail riot in southwestern Venezuela killed dozens of people on Friday, local media reported, the latest incident in the ongoing crisis in the South American nation's crowded prisons. Violence broke out after news of an inspection to confiscate weapons at the Centro Occidental jail, Prisons Minister Iris Varela said in a statement, without providing a death toll. Local media reports say between 26 and 54 people were killed and dozens wounded. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian troops and militia push to take Sunni Homs areas Friday, Jan 25, 2013 08:06 PM PST  AMMAN (Reuters) - The Syrian army has stepped up an offensive on opposition Sunni Muslim strongholds in the central city of Homs, bringing in ground forces and loyalist militia to try to secure a major road junction, opposition sources said on Friday. Around 15,000 Sunni civilians are trapped on the southern and western edge of the city near the intersection of Syria's main north-south and east-west arteries, crucial to let the army travel between Damascus and the Mediterranean coast, opposition campaigners in Homs said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Government rules U.S. schools must provide sports to disabled Friday, Jan 25, 2013 07:49 PM PST (Reuters) - U.S. schools must give disabled students the chance to compete in extracurricular sports alongside their able-bodied classmates, or else provide them with their own programs, the federal government said in new guidelines issued on Friday. The Education Department issued the directives to clarify schools' legal obligations to their disabled students, and to urge school districts to work with community organizations to "increase athletic opportunities" for them. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian army deploys troops in Suez after clashes Friday, Jan 25, 2013 06:24 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's armed forces deployed troops on the ground in the city of Suez early on Saturday after seven protesters and a soldier were shot dead in clashes on the second anniversary of the uprising against Hosni Mubarak. "We have asked the third armed forces to send reinforcements on the ground until we pass this difficult period," Adel Refaat, head of state security in Suez told state television. (Writing by Marwa Awad; Editing by Eric Walsh) Full Story | Top |
| Four killed by gunfire in Egypt's Suez: medics Friday, Jan 25, 2013 06:24 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Four people were killed by gunfire in the Egyptian city of Suez on Friday, medics said, the first fatalities of a day of violence on the second anniversary of the uprising against Hosni Mubarak. Medics told Reuters that another person was in critical condition. At least 186 civilians and 45 security personnel were injured in clashes between protesters and police across the country, officials said. (Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) Full Story | Top |
| Egypt deploys troops in Suez after 9 killed on anniversary of uprising Friday, Jan 25, 2013 06:24 PM PST  CAIRO/ISMAILIA, Egypt (Reuters) - Egypt's armed forces deployed troops in the city of Suez early on Saturday after nine people were shot dead during nationwide protests against President Mohamed Mursi, underlining the country's deep divisions as it marked the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak. Eight of the dead, including a policeman, were shot dead in Suez, and another was shot and killed in the city of Ismailia, medics said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama, Clinton all smiles in joint interview Friday, Jan 25, 2013 05:47 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bitter rivals in the 2008 presidential campaign, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton kept smiling at each other in a joint interview to CBS that Clinton said would have seemed "improbable" years ago. "It has been a great collaboration over the last four years. I'm going to miss her," Obama said in a televised excerpt from the CBS "60 Minutes" program that will air on Sunday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox - Obama's second-term Cabinet takes shape Friday, Jan 25, 2013 05:38 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has begun to reshape his Cabinet at the start of his second term, elevating several longtime advisers to key positions. More changes are still to come, as officials step down after long tenures through stressful periods at top jobs. Obama has faced criticism for his choices, in part because of past policy decisions and statements some have made, but also because he has so far named four white men to a Cabinet once lauded for its diversity. ... Full Story | Top |
| In Virginia, Biden pitches White House's gun-control plan Friday, Jan 25, 2013 05:28 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden took the Obama administration's case for gun control to the gun-friendly state of Virginia on Friday, part of a White House strategy to urge the public to pressure Congress into passing laws aimed at curbing firearms violence. "We're going to continue to go around the country," Biden said after a roundtable talk with officials and experts on gun violence at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama expresses support in call with France's Hollande Friday, Jan 25, 2013 05:26 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama spoke to French President Francois Hollande by phone on Friday and expressed support for France's military intervention in Mali, the White House said in a statement. "The two leaders emphasized the need to rapidly establish the African-led International Support Mission in Mali, as well as the importance of the Interim Government of Mali establishing a political roadmap that will lead to elections and restoration of democratic governance," the statement said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama to launch immigration push in Nevada next week Friday, Jan 25, 2013 04:37 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama plans to launch his second-term push for a U.S. immigration overhaul during a visit to Nevada next week and will make it a high priority to win congressional approval of a reform package this year, the White House said on Friday. Obama, who met leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, intends to use his trip to Las Vegas on Tuesday to "redouble our efforts to make comprehensive immigration reform a reality," White House spokesman Jay Carney said. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. business bruised by budget fight, say economists: Reuters poll Friday, Jan 25, 2013 04:30 PM PST (Reuters) - U.S. businesses have cut back expansion and hiring plans as a direct result of Washington's budget spat, say a firm majority of economists in a latest warning the recovery will drift until the fighting ends. Friday's Reuters poll of 76 economists also showed they were split almost down the middle over whether the White House and Congress will agree significant spending cuts over the next two months. ... Full Story | Top |
| Court rules Obama's appointments unconstitutional Friday, Jan 25, 2013 04:27 PM PST  (Reuters) - A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that President Barack Obama violated the U.S. Constitution when he used recess appointments to fill a labor board, in a sweeping decision that could limit presidential power to push through federal nominees. The court found that the Senate was not truly in recess, for the purpose of a recess appointment, when Obama in January 2012 installed three nominees to the National Labor Relations Board. The nominees were facing stiff Republican opposition, and the appointments caused an uproar at the time. ... Full Story | Top |
| Petrol bombs fly again as Northern Irish flag protests continue Friday, Jan 25, 2013 04:09 PM PST BELFAST (Reuters) - Northern Irish police were pelted by petrol bombs for the first time in almost two weeks on Friday after more protests at the removal of the British flag from Belfast City Hall. Masked youths clashed with police on the streets of east Belfast on an almost nightly basis for six weeks after local councilors voted to end a century-old tradition of flying the flag, enraging some pro-British loyalists. The worst violence had calmed in recent days and most demonstrations on Friday passed off without major incident. ... Full Story | Top |
| New Russian punk band documentary uncovers story behind 'punk prayer' protest Friday, Jan 25, 2013 03:40 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - When three women of Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot entered a Moscow church to perform a "punk prayer" in February of last year, little did they think their actions would land them behind bars and capture the world's attention. A new documentary, "Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this week, follows the band members and their families as they struggle through the legal system in Russia. ... Full Story | Top |
| Soccer stadium hearing threatens Egypt with more unrest Friday, Jan 25, 2013 03:20 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian soccer fans have threatened violence on Saturday if a court does not deliver the justice they seek for 74 people killed in a stadium disaster. The hearing over the Port Said disaster in February follows unrest on Friday that killed five people and injured more than 330 during anti-government protests on the second anniversary of the uprising against Hosni Mubarak. The court had been due to rule on Saturday in the cases brought against 73 people, 61 of whom are charged with murder in what was Egypt's worst stadium disaster. ... Full Story | Top |
| Detroit to get $20 million from state after meeting reform goals Friday, Jan 25, 2013 03:15 PM PST (Reuters) - Cash-strapped Detroit will get $20 million from the state of Michigan after substantially meeting goals aimed at restructuring the city's sagging finances, city and state officials said on Friday. Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said an agreement was reached with Michigan to release the money, which was raised in a bond issue last year, from an escrow account held by the state. "The release of these funds will occur at my discretion," Bing added in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sarah Palin and Fox News Channel part ways Friday, Jan 25, 2013 03:13 PM PST  (Reuters) - Republican former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has parted ways with Fox News Channel after working for three years as a paid commentator, the cable TV network said on Friday. Palin, who went from being a little-known governor to a political sensation after Senator John McCain picked her as his running mate in the 2008 presidential election, was one of the channel's biggest names despite appearing only occasionally. "We have thoroughly enjoyed our association with Governor Palin," Bill Shine, Fox News Channel executive vice president of programming, said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bruised Republicans vow to give party's image a makeover Friday, Jan 25, 2013 03:12 PM PST  CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) - Bruised and divided by November's election losses, Republican leaders emerged from a series of self-analysis and strategy sessions this week with the outlines of a game plan to reverse voting trends that favor Democrats. After a frank assessment of the party's shortcomings, state and national officials at the Republican National Committee's winter meetings vowed, above all, to improve the image of a party that they acknowledge is seen as unwelcoming - or even hostile - to single women and the nation's growing minority population. ... Full Story | Top |
| Court overturns another Guantanamo conviction Friday, Jan 25, 2013 03:07 PM PST  MIAMI (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday overturned the Guantanamo war crimes conviction of an al Qaeda videographer, a ruling likely to lead to dismissal of conspiracy charges in the pending trial of five men accused of plotting the September 11 attacks. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia threw out the conviction of Yemeni prisoner Ali Hamza al Bahlul, ruling that the charges of which he was convicted - conspiracy, providing material support for terrorism and soliciting murder - were not internationally recognized as war crimes when the acts were committed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Court says Obama recess appointments invalid Friday, Jan 25, 2013 03:06 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that President Barack Obama violated the U.S. Constitution when he used recess appointments to fill a labor board, a decision that could curtail the president's options in filling vacancies. Obama, frustrated by Republican opposition to his nominees, made the three "recess" appointments to the National Labor Relations Board in January 2012, while the Senate was on one of its many recesses but not formally adjourned for the year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy's Monte Paschi faces shareholder fury as scandal widens Friday, Jan 25, 2013 02:57 PM PST  SIENA, Italy (Reuters) - Enraged shareholders of Monte Paschi bank lashed out at its management on Friday as questions grew about central bank oversight of the historic lender following the uncovering of nearly $1 billion of losses in complex derivatives deals. The turmoil surrounding Italy's third-largest bank has rocked the country's financial establishment and exposed both the government and the Bank of Italy to difficult questions over how the risky deals could have been hidden from regulators. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy PM says nationalizing Monte Paschi "remote" notion Friday, Jan 25, 2013 02:56 PM PST BOLOGNA, Italy (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti described as a "remote hypothesis" the possibility of Monte Paschi bank being nationalized, when asked to comment on a television talk show on Friday. Monti was talking to the La7 network as questions grew about central bank oversight of the historic lender following the uncovering of nearly $1 billion of losses in complex derivatives deals. (Reporting by Stephen Jewkes; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) Full Story | Top |
| Senators propose revival of U.S. farm disaster-relief programs Friday, Jan 25, 2013 02:47 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress would revive disaster-relief programs for farmers and ranchers hurt by drought and other natural catastrophes under a stop-gap bill introduced on Friday by two key Senate committee leaders. Producers could get up to $100,000 each for losses in 2012 and this year. In particular, ranchers would benefit because they do not have access to federally subsidized insurance, as farmers do for their crops. The bundle of disaster programs, covering livestock, tree and fruit and vegetable producers, ran out of money in 2011. Attempts to restart them last year failed. ... Full Story | Top |
| French-backed Mali forces push towards rebel-held Gao Friday, Jan 25, 2013 02:44 PM PST  SEGOU/BAMAKO, Mali (Reuters) - French-backed government forces advanced into northern Mali towards the Islamist rebel stronghold of Gao on Friday, recapturing the town of Hombori and forcing al Qaeda-allied fighters to pull back under relentless French air strikes. France sent troops and aircraft to its former colony two weeks ago to block a southward offensive by Islamists occupying Mali's north. French and Malian troops have been pushing forward on either side of the Niger River, securing several farming towns recaptured over the last week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Anti-abortion marchers in Washington protest 40 yrs of legal abortion Friday, Jan 25, 2013 02:40 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Anti-abortion activists marched in Washington on Friday to protest the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that made abortion legal in the United States 40 years ago. Condemning abortion as an abuse of human rights, people from across the country participated in the March for Life that takes place annually in the nation's capital. The Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling on January 22, 1973, legalized abortion. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. chief to recommend intervention troops for Congo: official Friday, Jan 25, 2013 02:39 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will recommend to the U.N. Security Council that a peace enforcement unit be deployed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to take on the M23 rebels and other armed groups, a senior U.N. official said on Friday. The intervention unit of a few thousand troops would aim to prevent armed groups from expanding territory in the resource-rich region by overpowering and disarming them. The unit would be contained within the existing U.N. force, known as MONUSCO. "It is not simply peacekeeping, this is peace enforcement. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Zero Dark Thirty" entertaining but inaccurate: ex-CIA agents Friday, Jan 25, 2013 02:30 PM PST  PARK CITY, Utah (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden movie "Zero Dark Thirty" may be an entertaining film, but it fails to capture the true nature of the work of those involved in his hunt and capture, according to three former CIA agents. Nada Bakos, Cindy Storer and Marty Martin are featured in HBO documentary "Manhunt," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this week. It offers an alternative look at the long search by U.S. agents for the al Qaeda leader, who was killed in Pakistan in 2011. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pentagon cutting jobs, maintenance due to budget fears: official Friday, Jan 25, 2013 02:18 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon has begun laying off many of its 46,000 temporary and contract workers and delaying maintenance on aircraft and ships to slow spending due to fears it may be hit by new budget cuts, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Friday. The Pentagon also plans to formally notify Congress in the next few weeks that if further budget cuts take place on March 1, it will furlough most of its 800,000 full-time civilian employees, probably by asking them to take a day off per week for the last 22 weeks of the fiscal year, Carter said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Suspect arrested in Houston college shooting Friday, Jan 25, 2013 02:10 PM PST  SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - The gunman investigators believe fired 10 shots on a college campus near Houston on Tuesday was arrested early Friday and charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest. Trey Foster, 22, was being held on bonds totaling $106,000, pending a court hearing on Monday, court records show. Foster was arrested at a home in the Dallas suburb of Plano and was immediately returned to Houston, said Harris County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Christina Garza. A spokesman for the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain's economy flirts with "triple dip" recession Friday, Jan 25, 2013 01:58 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's economy shrank more than expected at the end of 2012 with a North Sea oil production slump, lower factory output and a hangover from London's Olympics pushing it perilously close to a "triple-dip" recession. The country's gross domestic product fell 0.3 percent in the fourth quarter, the Office for National Statistics said on Friday, sharper than a 0.1 percent decline forecast by analysts. The news is a blow for Britain's Conservative-led government, which a day earlier defended its austerity programme against criticism from the International Monetary Fund. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canadian natives vow to battle on as chief ends fast Friday, Jan 25, 2013 01:52 PM PST  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian native leaders vowed on Thursday to carry on the fight for better living conditions as a chief at the center of a simmering aboriginal protest movement ended her six-week hunger strike. Chief Theresa Spence, from a remote northern Ontario reserve, called off the strike after holding negotiations with other aboriginal leaders and opposition lawmakers in Canadian Parliament. "There was an awakening here," Danny Metatawabin, a spokesman for Spence, told a news conference in Ottawa. "Now we have to move forward." "The fight does not end because the hunger strike ends. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: UBS Chairman proposes industry-wide settlement over Libor Friday, Jan 25, 2013 01:47 PM PST  DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - UBS Chairman Axel Weber raised the possibility of an industry-wide settlement for the rest of the banks involved in the Libor rate fixing scandal at a meeting of top bankers in Davos, sources familiar with the matter said. Among the top bankers and officials present at the meeting on Thursday were Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney, JP Morgan Chase Chief Executive Jamie Dimon, Citigroup CEO Mike Corbat and HSBC Chairman Douglas Flint. Carney is due to take over as head of the Bank of England later this year. Swiss bank UBS reached a $1. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Obama climate push to benefit energy efficiency firms Friday, Jan 25, 2013 01:34 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's promise to attack climate change is likely to light a fire under federal agencies slow to comply with a mandate to cut energy use - which could be very good news for companies that specialize in systems that save power. Waiting in the wings are the likes of Honeywell International Inc, Johnson Controls Inc and Ameresco Inc that are ready to carry out heating and cooling system upgrades, lighting retrofits and similar projects in some of the government's 500,000 buildings. ... Full Story | Top |
| SEC taps criminal investigator as top watchdog Friday, Jan 25, 2013 01:33 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Securities and Exchange Commission has selected a criminal investigator as its top internal watchdog, one day after President Barack Obama tapped a former criminal prosecutor as chairman of the agency. The SEC has offered the job of inspector general to Capitol Police Inspector General Carl W. Hoecker, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. One of those people said Hoecker accepted the offer. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because the hiring decision is not yet public. Both Hoecker and an SEC spokesman declined to comment. ... Full Story | Top |
| France is Friday, Jan 25, 2013 01:17 PM PST PARIS (Reuters) - The rise of Islamist militants in Mali has been "a rallying cry" for potential jihadists in France, but an attack on French soil is unlikely in the short term, France's top anti-terrorism judge said on Friday. France launched air strikes and deployed thousands of ground troops in Mali this month to drive back al Qaeda-linked rebels it fears will turn its former colony into a launch pad to attack French political and economic interests. ... Full Story | Top |
| Morocco says has no plans to send troops to Mali Friday, Jan 25, 2013 01:17 PM PST RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco has no plans to send troops to Mali although the north African kingdom supports France's intervention against Islamist militants there, the Moroccan interior minister said on Friday. "This is not on the agenda," Mohand Laenser told a press conference about the possibility of sending troops, after a meeting with interior ministers from France, Spain and Portugal. "We support all efforts which help Mali remain united and protect its institutions. France's intervention is such a case and we are not against it. ... Full Story | Top |
| Abbas asks Israel to let in Palestinians fleeing Syria Friday, Jan 25, 2013 01:15 PM PST  RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas tried to get Israel to let 150,000 Palestinians fleeing war in Syria resettle in the West Bank, but dropped the request after the Jewish state demanded they first give up their right of return, he said. Syria is home to around 500,000 Palestinian refugees, some of whom have been fleeing the country because of civil war between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and fighters seeking to topple his government. Israel has said it has no plans to allow them to enter the West Bank, which it has occupied since 1967. ... Full Story | Top |
| Five die in Egypt violence on anniversary of uprising Friday, Jan 25, 2013 12:59 PM PST CAIRO/ISMAILIA, Egypt (Reuters) - Five people were shot dead in the Egyptian city of Suez during nationwide protests against President Mohamed Mursi on Friday, the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak. One of the dead was a member of the security forces, medics said. Another 280 civilians and 55 security personnel were injured, officials said, in demonstrations fuelled by anger at the president and his Islamist allies in the Muslim Brotherhood. ... Full Story | Top |
| Toronto mayor Rob Ford gets to keep his job Friday, Jan 25, 2013 12:53 PM PST  TORONTO (Reuters) - Toronto's divisive mayor, Rob Ford, won an appeal on Friday against a ruling that was set to remove him from office, defusing a showdown that has transfixed Canada's biggest city and allowing him to see out his four-year term. Ford, a magnet for controversy during the two years he has spent as mayor, was ordered out of office last November after he was found guilty of conflict of interest, but he was allowed to stay on the job while he appealed. ... Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment