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| Chavez's breathing problems worsen, has severe new infection Monday, Mar 04, 2013 08:04 PM PST  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's breathing problems have worsened and he is suffering from a "severe" new respiratory infection as he struggles to recover from cancer surgery, the government said in a somber update on Monday. The 58-year-old socialist leader has not been seen in public nor heard from in almost three months since undergoing surgery in Cuba. It was his fourth operation since the disease was detected in mid-2011. "Today there is a worsening of his respiratory function. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S., China reach tentative deal on North Korea sanctions Monday, Mar 04, 2013 08:02 PM PST  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States and China have struck a tentative deal on a draft U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution that would punish North Korea for its third nuclear test last month, U.N. diplomats said on Monday. Separately, the U.N. press office announced that Russia, which holds the presidency of the 15-nation Security Council this month, will convene closed-door consultations on North Korea at 11:00 a.m. EST (1600 GMT) in New York on Tuesday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Budget crisis eases as Republicans seek to avoid shutdown Monday, Mar 04, 2013 06:41 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tension over the fiscal crisis eased on Monday as President Barack Obama called more opposition lawmakers to find a way to stop $85 billion in damaging budget cuts and congressional Republicans announced a plan to prevent a government shutdown. Eager to resolve fiscal fights overshadowing his second term, the Democratic president called Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins and Oklahoma Republican Senator Tom Coburn after speaking to other Republican senators over the weekend. ... Full Story | Top |
| China puts focus on consumers to drive growth Monday, Mar 04, 2013 08:15 PM PST  BEIJING (Reuters) - China put its fast-growing consumer class at center-stage as outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao set out a reform plan on Tuesday to spread the fruits of economic growth more evenly in the country of 1.3 billion. Wen said unleashing the power of China's consumers was vital to the future of the world's second biggest economy and called for accelerated reform of the rigid hukou household registration system to drive an urbanization effort that he said underpinned the country's program of economic development. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kenyatta takes early lead as Kenya counts votes Monday, Mar 04, 2013 05:50 PM PST  NAIROBI (Reuters) - Uhuru Kenyatta opened an early lead as Kenya continued the count on Tuesday in a presidential election that brought out millions of voters despite pockets of violence that killed at least 15 people. Kenyans, who waited patiently in long lines, hope the vote will restore the nation's image as one of Africa's more stable democracies after tribal blood-letting killed more than 1,200 people when the result of the 2007 vote was disputed by rivals. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian rebels report capture of provincial capital Monday, Mar 04, 2013 02:25 PM PST AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian opposition fighters captured the northeastern city of Raqqa on Monday and crowds toppled a statue of President Bashar al-Assad's father, opposition sources and residents said. The fall of Raqqa on the Euphrates River would be a significant development in the two-year-old revolt against Assad. The rebels do not claim to hold any other provincial capitals. Rebel fighters said loyalist forces were still dug in at the provincial airport 60 km (40 miles) from Raqqa and they remained a threat. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Goldman finds new way to do buyouts in face of Volcker Monday, Mar 04, 2013 03:05 PM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc is trying to find ways to keep investing in the profitable, albeit risky, business of buying and selling companies without crossing a rule that will restrict private equity investing, three sources familiar with the new business said over the past week. The Volcker rule - named for former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker and part of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law - is expected to limit bank investments in private equity funds, but not necessarily private equity-style investments outside of a formal fund structure. ... Full Story | Top |
| France says al Qaeda chief Abou Zeid "probably" killed Monday, Mar 04, 2013 03:59 PM PST  PARIS/BAMAKO (Reuters) - France gave the first indication on Monday that it believed reports that Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, one of al Qaeda's most feared commanders in Africa, had been killed in Mali, an event that would deal a serious blow to the militants' leadership. Edouard Guillaud, head of France's joint chiefs of staff, said it was probable Abou Zeid had been killed in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains where French troops are hunting down al Qaeda-linked fighters after a seven-week campaign which has broken Islamist control of northern Mali. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Obama to name O'Connor new Secret Service chief - source Monday, Mar 04, 2013 12:22 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has chosen a veteran Secret Service official who oversaw criminal investigations to head the agency, which last year became embroiled in a prostitution scandal in Colombia, a government source said. In the next few days, Obama will appoint David O'Connor, a former assistant director of investigations who retired last year, as director of the agency that protects the president and other top officials. The White House had no comment and the Department of Homeland Security would not confirm that he was to be appointed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Biden, Netanyahu set tone on Iran for Obama visit to Israel Monday, Mar 04, 2013 03:10 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden insisted on Monday that President Barack Obama was not bluffing about using force to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions if all else fails, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a "credible military threat" against Tehran. Seeking to reassure Israel and its U.S. supporters just weeks before Obama visits the Jewish state, Biden cautioned that all options, including sanctions and diplomacy, must be exhausted to ensure that the international community will be supportive if military action is deemed necessary. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. nuclear chief presses Iran on access to military base Monday, Mar 04, 2013 12:14 PM PST  VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog raised pressure on Iran to finally address suspicions that it has sought to design an atomic bomb, calling for swift inspector access to a military base where relevant explosives tests are believed to have been carried out. Airing frustration at the lack of progress in his agency's investigation, Yukiya Amano told its 35-nation governing board on Monday that negotiations with Iran must "proceed with a sense of urgency" and be focused on achieving concrete results soon. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bersani ultimatum may bring new Italy election closer Monday, Mar 04, 2013 01:24 PM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Italy could be inching closer towards another election within months after center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani issued an ultimatum to anti-establishment comic Beppe Grillo to support a new government or return to the polls. Last week's election, in which Grillo's 5-Star Movement won a huge protest vote, left no group with a working majority in parliament, making an alliance with a rival the only way out. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cardinals want to be briefed on secret report Monday, Mar 04, 2013 09:22 AM PST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Catholic cardinals in a closed-door meeting ahead of the election of a new pontiff want to be briefed on a secret report into leaks about alleged corruption and mismanagement in the Vatican, a senior source said on Monday. More than 140 cardinals began preliminary meetings to sketch a profile for the next pope following the shock abdication of Pope Benedict last month and to ponder who among them might be best to lead a church beset by crises. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kenyatta takes early lead as Kenya counts votes Monday, Mar 04, 2013 02:59 PM PST NAIROBI (Reuters) - Uhuru Kenyatta had an early edge as Kenya continued the count on Tuesday in a presidential election that brought out millions of voters despite pockets of violence that killed at least 15 people. Kenyans, who waited patiently in long lines, hope the vote will restore the nation's image as one of Africa's more stable democracies after tribal blood-letting killed more than 1,200 people when the result of the 2007 vote was disputed by rivals. ... Full Story | Top |
| Republicans move to avoid government shutdown Monday, Mar 04, 2013 03:52 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional Republicans announced a plan on Monday to avoid a government shutdown later this month, seeking to calm the waters after months of budget fights that ended in a failure last week to halt damaging spending cuts. Just three days into the $85 billion of automatic "sequester" cuts, Republicans in the House of Representatives turned their attention to the next fiscal deadline: the March 27 expiration of funding for government agencies and programs. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama rounds out Cabinet with EPA, Energy picks Monday, Mar 04, 2013 11:52 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama announced his nominees to lead a new U.S. push to tackle climate change on Monday, choosing an air quality expert to run the Environmental Protection Agency and a nuclear physicist to head the Department of Energy. In a widely expected move, Obama selected agency veteran Gina McCarthy to replace Lisa Jackson as EPA administrator and scientist Ernest Moniz from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to take over for Steven Chu as Energy secretary. ... Full Story | Top |
| BOJ nominee Kuroda sets out aggressive policy ideas Monday, Mar 04, 2013 02:42 AM PST  TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japan government's nominee to be the next central bank governor outlined more forceful policy prescriptions on Monday to finally defeat deflation, saying he would not set any limits on the amount of cash the Bank of Japan pumps into the economy. Underlining expectations he would be an aggressive governor, Haruhiko Kuroda told lawmakers the BOJ's current policies were not powerful enough to boost inflation to 2 percent, a target he said the central bank should strive to achieve in two years. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Spoonful of reforms helps Latin America capital flows go down Monday, Mar 04, 2013 04:06 AM PST  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Bumper capital inflows to Latin America are putting the spotlight on shock-proofing policies to help economies digest the rush of investment - and guard against the inevitable exit. Foreign investment inflows to Latin America were more than $280 billion in 2012, according to balance of payment data from countries covering 75 percent of the region's economic output, similar to the flows registered in 2011 as low interest rates in developed economies pushed investors to seek returns elsewhere. ... Full Story | Top |
| Recluse behind Zara is now world's third richest man Monday, Mar 04, 2013 08:49 AM PST  MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's Amancio Ortega, elevated by Forbes to become the third richest person in the world, may have discovered fashion's secret of eternal youth. The "fast fashion" tycoon's estimated net worth of $57 billion is built on a formula of endless renewal, with dresses and blouses displayed in thousands of Zara stores worldwide for only a few days before they are taken off the rails and replaced with an even newer line of must-have garments. Customers know they have to buy the clothes quickly if they want them because they will not be available for long. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: China's next inner circle Monday, Mar 04, 2013 08:05 AM PST  HONG KONG (Reuters)-Even as Xi Jinping gets ready to assume the presidency of China this month, jockeying has begun for 2017 when rising stars of the ruling Communist Party move into top leadership posts. China's first and second generation Communist Party leaders, such as Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, ruled as single paramount leaders. But over the past two decades, Chinese leaders have tried to institutionalize governance with an emphasis on collective leadership - except when it comes to choosing leaders. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight: Brazil's leftist president fights to win back business Monday, Mar 04, 2013 03:03 AM PST  BRASILIA (Reuters) - The conversations with Brazil's top business leaders often last two hours, and up to four. President Dilma Rousseff asks detailed questions but otherwise listens intently, staring back with an inscrutable frown that occasionally unnerves her guests. There is talk of investments, and the need for shared prosperity - a favorite topic of Rousseff's. But in these meetings, the conversation inevitably comes back to the severe bottlenecks that have brought the economy back to earth after a historic boom last decade. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama rounds out cabinet with EPA, Energy picks Monday, Mar 04, 2013 05:30 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will announce on Monday his intent to nominate air quality expert Gina McCarthy to lead the Environmental Protection Agency and nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz to head the Department of Energy, a White House official said. The long-awaited announcement will come as Obama fills out his second term cabinet. At 10:15 a.m. EST (1515 GMT) the president also plans to announce his choice of Sylvia Mathews Burwell, head of the Walmart Foundation, to become director of the White House budget office. The nominations require confirmation by the Senate. ... Full Story | Top |
| HSBC to raise dividends in show of capital strength Monday, Mar 04, 2013 12:14 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - HSBC plans to increase dividends this year in a show of strength over rivals even though the bank's annual profits fell after a money-laundering fine and compensation paid to customers. Europe's biggest bank is in the last year of a three-year restructuring under Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver, where it has closed or sold 47 businesses and cut 38,000 jobs. The bank said this had cut costs and risks and re-established its capital advantage over rivals, opening the door for higher dividends. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kerry sees "finite" time for Iran nuclear talks to bear fruit Monday, Mar 04, 2013 06:32 AM PST  RIYADH (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday there was "finite" time for talks between Iran and world powers on its disputed nuclear program to bear fruit, but gave no hint how long Washington may be willing to negotiate. Israel, Iran's arch-enemy and convinced Tehran is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons, has grown impatient with the protracted talks and has threatened pre-emptive war against Tehran if it deems diplomacy ultimately futile. ... Full Story | Top |
| Opposition leader visits Syria amid Assad offensive Monday, Mar 04, 2013 02:36 AM PST  AMMAN (Reuters) - Exiled opposition figure Moaz Alkhatib visited Syria on Sunday for the first time since fleeing last year, as rebels said President Bashar al-Assad's forces embarked on counter-offensives in various parts of the country. In the central city of Homs, heavy fighting broke out between loyalist forces and opposition brigades dug in preparation for an onslaught, opposition sources said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Alfa Romeo reboot marks tough road for Fiat recovery Sunday, Mar 03, 2013 09:44 PM PST  GENEVA/DETROIT (Reuters) - Sergio Marchionne does not walk on water. Nevertheless, it may require a miracle to pull off the Fiat chief's latest gambit: Take his sporty Alfa Romeo brand global with more expensive models and triple its sales volume by 2016 - after years of losses. To add extra spice to the challenge, which takes place as European car sales plummet to 17-year-lows, the new Alfas will be built in Italy, where labor and material costs are far higher than in the United States, Asia or Eastern Europe. The plan is however about far more than the fate of the Alfa brand. ... Full Story | Top |
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