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| French troops deployed in last Mali rebel strongholds Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 02:15 PM PST  DOUENTZA, Mali/PARIS (Reuters) - French troops seized the airport in Mali's northern town of Kidal, the last urban stronghold held by Islamist insurgents, as they moved to wrap up the first phase of a military operation to wrest northern Mali from rebel hands. France has deployed some 4,500 troops in a three-week ground and air offensive to break the Islamist rebels' 10-month grip on major northern towns. The mission is aimed at heading off the risk of Mali being used as a springboard for jihadist attacks in the wider region or Europe. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Iran crude oil exports rise to highest since EU sanctions Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 05:35 PM PST  GENEVA/DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's crude oil exports in December leapt to their highest level since European Union sanctions took effect last July, analysts and shipping sources said, as strong Chinese demand and tanker fleet expansion helped the OPEC member dodge sanctions. Exports rose to around 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) in December, according to two industry sources and shipping and customs data compiled by Reuters on a country-by-country basis and corroborated by other sources and consultants. ... Full Story | Top |
| Giffords seeks "bold" action as Congress takes up gun control Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 02:17 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, grievously wounded in a 2011 mass shooting, made an emotional plea on Wednesday for Congress to take action to curb gun violence, but a National Rifle Association executive said new gun laws "have failed in the past and they'll fail again." Speaking haltingly, Giffords implored lawmakers to "be bold, be courageous" as she opened testimony at the first congressional hearing on gun violence since the December 14 massacre in which a gunman shot dead 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. ... Full Story | Top |
| Facebook's mobile ad revenue doubles in fourth quarter Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 05:19 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc doubled its mobile advertising revenue in the fourth quarter, a sign that the No.1 social network is seeing early success in expanding onto handheld devices as more of its users migrate to smartphones and tablets. Investors want to see evidence that CEO Mark Zuckerberg's 8-year-old company is delivering on promises to develop a full-fledged mobile advertising business, a challenge facing many of today's technology leaders including Google Inc. But the growth trailed some of Wall Street's most aggressive estimates. ... Full Story | Top |
| RIM rebrands as BlackBerry; launches nifty new devices Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 04:04 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd on Wednesday unveiled the long-delayed line of smartphones it hopes will put it on the comeback trail, but it disappointed investors by saying U.S. sales of its all-new BlackBerry 10 devices will not start until March, sending its share price tumbling 12 percent. Chief Executive Thorsten Heins also announced that RIM was abandoning the name it has used since its inception in 1985 to take the name of its signature product, signaling his hopes for a fresh start for the company that pioneered on-your-hip email. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fed keeps stimulus in place as U.S. economy "paused" Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 02:35 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve on Wednesday left in place its monthly $85 billion bond-buying stimulus plan, arguing the support was needed to lower unemployment even as it indicated a recent stall in U.S. economic growth was likely temporary. The U.S. central bank predicted that the nation's job market would continue to improve at a modest pace, and repeated a pledge to keep purchasing securities until the outlook for employment "improves substantially. ... Full Story | Top |
| GDP unexpectedly shrinks, decline seen temporary Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 02:34 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The economy unexpectedly contracted in the fourth quarter, but analysts said there was no reason for panic given that consumer spending and business investment picked up. Gross domestic product fell at a 0.1 percent annual rate, its weakest performance since the economy emerged from recession in 2009, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday. If it were not for the hit from slower inventory growth and the deepest plunge in defense spending in 40 years, the economy would have grown at a respectable 2.5 percent rate. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt curfew scaled back as Mursi seeks end to bloodshed Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 11:16 AM PST  CAIRO/BERLIN (Reuters) - Egyptian authorities scaled back a curfew imposed by President Mohamed Mursi, and the Islamist leader cut short a visit to Europe on Wednesday to deal with the deadliest violence in the seven months since he took power. Two more protesters were shot dead before dawn near Cairo's central Tahrir Square on Wednesday, a day after the army chief warned that the state was on the brink of collapse if Mursi's opponents and supporters did not end street battles. ... Full Story | Top |
| Donors meet target of $1.5 billion aid for stricken Syrians: U.N. Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 08:35 AM PST  KUWAIT (Reuters) - Donor countries have pledged more than $1.5 billion to aid Syrians stricken by civil war, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday after warning that the conflict had wrought a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. In a pointed message for Syria's leader, Ban told a fund-raising conference that President Bashar al-Assad bore primary responsibility to stop his country's suffering after nearly two years of conflict that have cost an estimated 60,000 lives. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel hits Syria arms convoy to Lebanon: sources Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 03:11 PM PST BEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) - Israeli warplanes bombed a convoy near Syria's border with Lebanon, sources told Reuters, apparently targeting weapons destined for Hezbollah in what some called a warning to Damascus not to arm Israel's Lebanese enemy. Syrian state television accused Israel of bombing a military research center at Jamraya, between Damascus and the nearby border, but Syrian rebels disputed that, saying their forces had attacked the site. No source spoke of a second Israeli strike. ... Full Story | Top |
| Facebook's mobile ad revenue doubles in fourth quarter Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 02:42 PM PST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc doubled its mobile advertising from the previous quarter as the world's No. 1 social network expanded its business aggressively onto handheld devices. But the growth trailed some of Wall Street's most aggressive estimates. Extending its reach on mobile devices is crucial as more and more of its 1 billion-plus users begin to access its network via smartphones and tablets. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boeing forecast assumes little impact from 787 problems Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 03:38 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Boeing Co stood by the troubled lithium-ion battery technology that this month grounded its new, high-tech 787 Dreamliner and said on Wednesday that the grounding had no significant impact on its 2013 financial forecast. It's "business as usual," CEO Jim McNerney said as the Chicago company posted market-beating profits for the fourth quarter. ... Full Story | Top |
| RIM, now known as BlackBerry, launches new BB10 line Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 12:13 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd unveiled the long-delayed line of smartphones it hopes will put it on the comeback trail on Wednesday but it disappointed investors by saying U.S. sales of its all-new BlackBerry 10 will start only in March. Chief Executive Thorsten Heins also announced that RIM was abandoning the name it has used since its inception in 1985 to take the name of its signature product, signaling his hopes for a fresh start for the company that pioneered on-your-hip email. "From this point forward, RIM becomes BlackBerry," Heins said at the New York launch. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: The funds that saw Apple's decline coming Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 10:20 AM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The slump in Apple Inc's share price from its September high has badly dented the returns of hundreds of mutual funds that had maintained outsized holdings of the stock. But some went sour on the iPhone-maker just in time. Of the 321 funds that had more than 5 percent of their assets in Apple shares at the beginning of 2012, 53 of them - or slightly more than 16 percent - significantly cut back their weighting of the company before the plunge gained momentum, according to data from Morningstar. ... Full Story | Top |
| Judge rejects Sandusky's bid for new sex abuse trial Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 11:23 AM PST  (Reuters) - Former Pennsylvania State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky lost his bid on Wednesday for a new trial on child sex abuse charges. Judge John Cleland rejected the request in an opinion posted on the Centre County Court's website. Sandusky's attorneys had argued they lacked enough time to prepare for the trial. Sandusky, a former defensive coordinator, was convicted in June on 45 counts of abusing 10 boys over a 15-year period. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dutch court says Shell responsible for Nigeria spills Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 05:06 AM PST  THE HAGUE (Reuters) - A Dutch court ruled on Wednesday that Royal Dutch Shell's Nigerian subsidiary was responsible for a case of oil pollution in the Niger Delta and ordered it to pay damages in a decision that could open the door to further litigation. The district court in The Hague said Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd. (SPDC), a wholly-owned subsidiary, must compensate one farmer, but dismissed four other claims filed against the Dutch parent company. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pakistani girl shot by Taliban to have skull reconstructed Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 09:35 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - A Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating girls' education is to return to a specialist hospital in Britain for surgery to reconstruct her skull. Fifteen-year-old Malala Yousufzai, who was shot in October and brought to Britain for treatment, was discharged from the hospital earlier this month to spend time with her family after her initial treatment phase. ... Full Story | Top |
| Toyota to recall 1 million vehicles for airbag, wiper glitches Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 04:24 AM PST  TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp will recall nearly 1.3 million cars globally for two separate defects, including 752,000 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles in the United States to fix airbags that could be deployed inadvertently, the automaker said on Wednesday. It is the third Toyota recall since October to involve more than a million cars, and it comes as the company tries to recover from a damaged reputation following a series of recalls between 2009 and 2011 that were related to unintended acceleration problems. ... Full Story | Top |
| Private sector adds more jobs than expected in January Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 05:54 AM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Private-sector employers added 192,000 jobs in January, more than economists were expecting, in a sign of growth in the labor market, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Reuters had forecast the ADP National Employment Report would show a gain of 165,000 jobs. December's private payrolls were revised down to an increase of 185,000 from the previously reported 215,000. The report is jointly developed with Moody's Analytics. Small businesses with less than 50 employees did the most hiring this month, adding 115,000 jobs. ... Full Story | Top |
| Japanese airlines had 787 battery issues before recent incidents Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 07:34 AM PST  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's two biggest airlines replaced lithium-ion batteries on their Boeing Co 787 Dreamliners in the months before separate incidents led to the technologically advanced aircraft being grounded worldwide due to battery problems. Comments from both All Nippon Airways , the new Boeing jetliner's biggest customer to date, and Japan Airlines Co Ltd point to reliability issues with the batteries long before a battery caught fire on a JAL 787 at Boston's airport and a second battery was badly charred and melted on an ANA domestic flight that was forced into an emergency landing. ... Full Story | Top |
| Euro, shares rise ahead of U.S. Fed decision Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 04:46 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - The euro hit its highest level in over a year and shares and commodities also rose on Wednesday helped by optimism about the global economy ahead of a U.S. Federal Reserve policy decision. The Fed is expected to maintain asset buying at $85 billion a month when it concludes its meeting later and stick to its commitment to hold interest rates near zero until unemployment falls to at least 6.5 percent. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Korea launches first civilian rocket amid tensions with North Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 07:26 AM PST  SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea launched its first space rocket carrying a science satellite on Wednesday amid heightened regional tensions, caused in part, by North Korea's successful launch of its own rocket last month. It was South Korea's third attempt to launch a civilian rocket to send a satellite in orbit in the past four years and came after two previous launches were aborted at the eleventh hour last year due to technical glitches. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia scraps law enforcement deal with Washington Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 11:00 PM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is scrapping its agreement with Washington to cooperate on law enforcement and narcotics control, another sign of deteriorating ties between the Cold War-era foes since Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin last year. The order, signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and posted on the government website on Wednesday, said the agreement, which came into force in 2002, "does not address current realities and has exhausted its potential". Moscow is unhappy with a law passed by the United States last year imposing sanctions on alleged Russian human rights abusers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: CIA nominee had detailed knowledge of "enhanced interrogation techniques" Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 10:13 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - John Brennan, President Barack Obama's nominee to head the CIA, had detailed, contemporaneous knowledge of the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" on captured terrorism suspects during an earlier stint as a top spy agency official, according to multiple sources familiar with official records. Those records, the sources said, show that Brennan was a regular recipient of CIA message traffic about controversial aspects of the agency's counter-terrorism program after September 2001, including the use of "waterboarding. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House on offensive to get Hagel as defense secretary Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 09:26 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the Pentagon, prepared to meet with senior New York Senator Chuck Schumer in mid-January, the White House stepped in and ensured that the get-together would take place quickly - and in the West Wing. Some of the loudest objections to Obama's choice of Hagel for secretary of defense stemmed from lawmakers' concerns about his past comments on Israel and Iran. ... Full Story | Top |
| Australian PM surprises with September election call Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 10:00 PM PST  CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard set national elections for September 14, stunning voters on Wednesday with eight months notice of the vote in a bold move designed to end political uncertainty surrounding her struggling minority government. The election date means Gillard's government will serve a full three-year term, although analysts said the early notice meant she had started an eight-month campaign and lost her ability catch opposition leader Tony Abbott by surprise with a snap early poll. ... Full Story | Top |
| Clinton says she doesn't see "getting back into politics" Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 10:24 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday cast doubt on speculation she might run for the White House in 2016. In an interview taped for National Public Radio, Clinton was asked what questions she needs to answer for herself as she decides whether to run for president. "I'm not even posing those questions. I am really looking forward to stepping off the fast track that I've been on. I've been out of politics as Secretary of State. I don't see myself getting back into politics," she said, according to an excerpt of the interview. ... Full Story | Top |
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