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| South Korea halts more nuclear reactors over fake certificates Monday, May 27, 2013 08:59 PM PDT SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea is suspending the operations of two nuclear power reactors and extending a shutdown of a third for maintenance to replace cables that were supplied using fake certificates, the country's nuclear regulator said on Tuesday. The country previously halted the operations of some of its 23 reactors last November after a scandal emerged over parts being supplied using fake documents. Asia's fourth-largest economy is heavily dependent on oil, gas and coal imports, but usually gets about a third of its electricity from nuclear power generation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Australian spy HQ plans stolen by Chinese hackers: report Monday, May 27, 2013 08:42 PM PDT By Rob Taylor CANBERRA (Reuters) - Chinese hackers have stolen the blueprints of a new multi-million-dollar Australian spy headquarters as part of a growing wave of cyber attacks against business and military targets in the close U.S. ally, a Australian news report said. The hackers also stole confidential information from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which houses the overseas spy agency the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, Australia's ABC Television said late on Monday. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. report says major weapons designs compromised by Chinese Monday, May 27, 2013 08:37 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Designs for more than two dozen major U.S. weapons systems have been compromised by Chinese hackers, the Washington Post reported on Monday. Citing a report prepared for the Defense Department by the Defense Science Board, the newspaper said the compromised designs included combat aircraft and ships, as well as missile defense systems vital for Europe, Asia and the Gulf. ... Full Story | Top |
| Abandoned Chinese baby rescued from toilet pipe Monday, May 27, 2013 08:08 PM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - Firefighters in eastern China have rescued an abandoned newborn baby boy lodged in a sewage pipe directly beneath a toilet commode, state television reported, in a case which has sparked anger on social media sites. There are frequent reports in Chinese media of babies being abandoned, often shortly after birth, a problem attributed variously to young mothers unaware they were pregnant, the birth of an unwanted girl in a society which puts greater value on boys or China's strict family planning rules. ... Full Story | Top |
| France analyzing samples of suspected Syrian chemical weapon elements Monday, May 27, 2013 06:57 PM PDT By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - France is testing samples of suspected chemical weapon elements used against Syrian rebel fighters and smuggled out by reporters from Le Monde newspaper and will divulge the results in the next few days, a senior French official said on Monday. The official also said Paris recently carried out its own tests on other samples it had obtained that had indicated the use of battlefield gas. "Samples were handed to our intelligence services by the Le Monde journalists," the senior official said on condition of anonymity. ... Full Story | Top |
| Texas legislature passes tax cuts for businesses Monday, May 27, 2013 06:00 PM PDT  By Corrie MacLaggan AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas lawmakers sent Governor Rick Perry more than $1 billion in proposed business tax cuts shortly before the end of the biennial legislative session on Monday and the governor called a special session to address redistricting. The tax-cut package - the final piece of which was approved by the Republican-majority legislature late on Sunday - includes an extension of a business franchise tax exemption for small businesses and a rate cut for businesses of all sizes. Perry, a Republican, had called on lawmakers to pass tax relief for businesses. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chicago gang member charged in March shooting death of infant Monday, May 27, 2013 05:27 PM PDT By Mary Wisniewski CHICAGO (Reuters) - A Chicago gang member with a lengthy arrest record was charged in the death of a 6-month-old girl who was shot while sitting on the lap of her father, who allegedly was the intended target, Chicago police said on Monday. Koman Willis, 33, was charged with first-degree murder in the March 11 shooting of Jonylah Watkins, police said. Willis, who police said had 38 previous arrests, also was charged with aggravated battery for shooting the father, Jonathan Watkins, who survived the attack. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU failure will allow UK, France to arm Syrian rebels Monday, May 27, 2013 05:15 PM PDT  By Justyna Pawlak and Adrian Croft BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain and France are free to supply weapons to Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad from August, after attempts to renew an EU arms embargo on Syria failed on Monday. After a marathon negotiating session in Brussels, EU governments failed to bridge their differences and let a ban on arming the opposition expire, with France and Britain scoring a victory at the expense of EU unity. Britain and France have made a commitment not to deliver arms to the Syrian opposition "at this stage," an EU declaration said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lavrov says convening Syria conference 'a tall order' Monday, May 27, 2013 05:03 PM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed and John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - Holding a conference to end Syria's civil war will be a "tall order", Russia's foreign minister said on Monday after talks with his U.S. counterpart, but he saw some chance of success. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said they would do their utmost to bring Syria's warring parties to the table, as fighting intensified and new allegations of chemical weapons use surfaced. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU duties on Chinese solar panels losing member: state support Monday, May 27, 2013 04:52 PM PDT  By Robin Emmott and Ethan Bilby BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A majority of EU governments oppose a plan to impose hefty duties on solar panel imports from China, a survey of member states showed on Monday, undermining efforts by Brussels to pressure Beijing over its trade practices. The European Commission, the EU's executive, accuses Chinese firms of selling solar panels at below cost in Europe - a practice known as "dumping" - and plans to impose duties, making it far harder for China to gain market share. ... Full Story | Top |
| News Corp says has no record of Fox News subpoena Monday, May 27, 2013 04:42 PM PDT  (Reuters) - News Corp said on Monday it is still reviewing whether it has any record of a notification from the United States government involving a subpoena for a Fox News reporter's phone records. The media conglomerate was responding to the Justice Department, which said it told News Corp about the seizure of phone records for James Rosen, a reporter with Fox News, in August 2010. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brooklyn Bridge reopened after check of suspicious vehicle Monday, May 27, 2013 04:34 PM PDT  (Reuters) - The Brooklyn Bridge reopened on Monday evening after being closed for almost two hours at the end of a holiday weekend while New York City police investigated an unattended vehicle. The bridge was shut down at 5:15 p.m. as the police bomb squad investigated a Manhattan-bound SUV. An "all clear" was issued and the historic bridge reopened to traffic at 7 p.m., said New York Police Detective Kellyann Ort. WCBS Radio's traffic correspondent reported the vehicle had no license plates. The closing backed up Memorial Day holiday traffic, the station said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rutgers stands behind new athletic director after report of abuse Monday, May 27, 2013 04:33 PM PDT By David Jones NEWARK, New Jersey (Reuters) - Rutgers University is standing by its new athletic director in the wake of a newspaper report that she had been accused of abusing her volleyball team 16 years ago at another school, the New Jersey school's president said on Monday. The athletic director, Julie Hermann, had been hired earlier this month after her predecessor resigned under pressure for not firing Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice for abusive behavior toward his players. ... Full Story | Top |
| Second former Peru president faces inquiry before campaign Monday, May 27, 2013 03:40 PM PDT LIMA (Reuters) - Peru's Alejandro Toledo was grilled in Congress on Monday over his family's purchase of a luxury home in Lima, making him the second former president to face inquiries that could narrow the 2016 presidential field. A preliminary investigation by the attorney general's office into Toledo's real estate dealings comes as two-time former President Alan Garcia faces official inquiries over thousands of presidential pardons he granted to convicted drug traffickers during his 2006-2011 term. Both politicians have denied any wrongdoing. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria fighting rages, more chemical attacks reported Monday, May 27, 2013 03:23 PM PDT  By Erika Solomon BEIRUT (Reuters) - Heavy fighting raged around the strategic Syrian border town of Qusair and the capital Damascus on Monday and further reports surfaced of chemical weapons attacks by President Bashar al-Assad's forces on rebel areas. Intensified government offensives are widely seen as a bid to strengthen Assad's position before a peace conference proposed by the United States and Russia for next month. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU agrees to extend all financial sanctions on Syria: diplomats Monday, May 27, 2013 03:14 PM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union governments reached a political deal on Monday to extend all EU financial and economic sanctions on Syria for one year despite their failure to agree on amending an arms embargo to help the Syrian opposition, EU diplomats said. EU governments will refrain from any arms deliveries to Syria for now, the diplomats said. (Reporting by Justyna Pawlak, Editing by Adrian Croft and Michael Roddy) Full Story | Top |
| Toronto mayor loses two more top aides after crack scandal Monday, May 27, 2013 03:10 PM PDT  By Julie Gordon and Allison Martell TORONTO (Reuters) - Two top aides quit Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's office on Monday as the embattled leader of Canada's biggest city faces lingering allegations he was caught smoking crack cocaine on video, accusations he has firmly denied. The departures of the mayor's press secretary and deputy press secretary came just days after Ford fired his chief of staff. The mayor confirmed on Monday that both George Christopoulos and Isaac Ransom left of their own accord. ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain's Hague says EU arms embargo on Syrian rebels effectively ends Monday, May 27, 2013 03:06 PM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A failure by European Union governments to agree on extending an arms embargo on Syria effectively ends the EU's ban on supplying arms to Syrian rebels, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Monday. "We have brought to an end the arms embargo on the Syrian opposition," Hague said after inconclusive talks between EU foreign ministers. He said Britain had no immediate plans to send arms to Syria. He said EU member states would reassert all other existing EU sanctions on Syria. (Reporting by Adrian Croft; Editing by Michael Roddy) Full Story | Top |
| Senator McCain met with rebels in Syria: spokesman Monday, May 27, 2013 02:47 PM PDT  By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senator John McCain, a former presidential candidate and an outspoken advocate for U.S. military aid to the Syrian opposition, met with some of the rebels during a surprise visit to the war-torn country on Monday, his spokesman said. Spokesman Brian Rogers confirmed McCain's meeting with the rebels, but declined to give any details about the visit, which may fuel pressure on Washington to intervene in a conflict that is believed to have claimed 80,000 lives. The visit came as U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gunman in Texas shooting spree was stationed at Marine base Monday, May 27, 2013 02:41 PM PDT (Reuters) - A Texas gunman who killed one person and wounded five others before being shot to death by police was stationed at a North Carolina Marine base, the Texas Department of Public Safety said on Monday. The gunman was identified as Esteban Smith, 23, who was stationed at Camp Lejeune, the agency said in a statement. Camp Lejeune is home to several Marine Corps commands, including the 2nd Marine Division, and a Navy unit. A spokesman for the military base was not immediately available for comment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Guinea says death toll from protest rises to 12 Monday, May 27, 2013 02:28 PM PDT CONAKRY (Reuters) - At least 12 people have been killed in Guinea during five days of protests over preparations for a legislative election, the government of the West African state said on Monday. Guinea's opposition called its members onto the streets in March to protest at the government's plan to go ahead with the vote on June 30, over fears the vote will be rigged. More than 50 people have been killed in total and about 350 wounded since the protests began. Opposition leaders temporarily suspended demonstrations this month to allow U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama, New Jersey governor to reunite Tuesday for storm tour Monday, May 27, 2013 02:19 PM PDT  By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will join New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Tuesday for a tour of the Jersey Shore damaged by Superstorm Sandy, replaying a scene from last year that some observers believe helped Obama win re-election. Christie, a Republican, gave Obama, a Democrat, blunt praise for his response to the devastating storm that hit the U.S. East Coast just days before the November 6 election. "I cannot thank the president enough for his personal concern and his compassion," Christie said during an October 31 tour together of the damaged areas. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada's Flaherty: No 'doom and gloom' in Canada housing market Monday, May 27, 2013 02:13 PM PDT  OTTAWA (Reuters) - There's no "doom and gloom" in Canada's housing market, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Monday, suggesting he sees a soft landing rather than a U.S.-style collapse as demand and prices cool. "When I look at the housing market, I'm looking for the 'doom and gloom.' I don't see the 'doom and gloom,'" Flaherty told reporters, referring to market players who predict Canada has a housing bubble on the verge of bursting. "I see some moderation in demand. This is a good thing," Flaherty said. Canada's housing market was red hot in the years following the 2008-09 recession. ... Full Story | Top |
| Argentina's YPF loses arbitration over natgas exports to Brazil Monday, May 27, 2013 01:47 PM PDT  BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's state-controlled energy company, YPF, has lost a potential multimillion-dollar international arbitration case over the suspension of natural gas exports to Brazil, the company said on Monday. Plaintiffs are reported to be seeking well over $1 billion in compensation for YPF's suspension of gas exports starting in 2004 and its rescission of the contracts with AES Uruguaiana (AESU) y Transportadora de Gas del Mercosur in 2009. At the time, YPF was controlled by Spain's Repsol . ... Full Story | Top |
| Cambodian police clash with thousands of garment workers, 23 hurt Monday, May 27, 2013 12:53 PM PDT PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - At least 23 workers were hurt in Cambodia on Monday when police using stun batons moved in to end a protest over pay at a factory that makes clothing for U.S. sportswear company Nike, a worker and a trade union representative said. Police with riot gear were deployed to move about 3,000 mostly female workers who had blocked a road outside their factory owned by Sabrina (Cambodia) Garment Manufacturing in Kampong Speu province, west of the capital, Phnom Penh. ... Full Story | Top |
| More than 70 killed in wave of Baghdad bombings Monday, May 27, 2013 12:52 PM PDT  By Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD (Reuters) - More than 70 people were killed in a wave of bombings in markets in Shi'ite neighborhoods across Baghdad on Monday in worsening sectarian violence in Iraq. No group claimed responsibility for the blasts. But Sunni Muslim Islamist insurgents and al-Qaeda' s Iraqi wing have increased attacks since the beginning of the year and often target Shi'ite districts. ... Full Story | Top |
| Premier Li says China, Germany could be economic 'dream team' Monday, May 27, 2013 12:46 PM PDT  By Andreas Rinke BERLIN (Reuters) - China is ready to open up new sectors of its economy to German investors, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday, in comments that highlight Beijing's drive for a special bilateral partnership with Berlin bypassing the EU. "If we both come together in an ideal and optimal way, a dream team will emerge," Li told representatives of German business during a visit to Berlin, his first to a European Union capital since becoming premier in March. ... Full Story | Top |
| On Memorial Day, Obama pays tribute to fallen Monday, May 27, 2013 12:27 PM PDT  By Jeff Mason ARLINGTON, Virginia (Reuters) - President Barack Obama paid tribute on Monday to fallen men and women of the U.S. armed services during a Memorial Day ceremony in which he reminded Americans that the country was still at war. During a solemn visit to Arlington National Ceremony, the resting ground for many military casualties, Obama noted in remarks to visitors that next year would mark the last Memorial Day of the U.S. war in Afghanistan. ... Full Story | Top |
| Oregon teen school bomb suspect had 'detailed checklist:' Police Monday, May 27, 2013 12:09 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Authorities in northwestern Oregon said on Sunday that a teenager arrested for producing what authorities called explosives for a Columbine-style attack on his high school had meticulously planned his foiled bombing. "He was definitely following a detailed checklist," said Captain Eric Carter of the Albany police department about the 17-year-old, Grant Acord. "It appears he had a systematic, well-documented plan, this was not just an errant note. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pressure growing for ownership change at ILVA steel plant Monday, May 27, 2013 12:05 PM PDT  By Massimiliano Di Giorgio ROME (Reuters) - Italy's government on Monday met with the board of ILVA, the steel group mired in a growing environmental and corruption scandal, as pressure mounted for a change in the ownership structure of Europe's largest steel plant. The board of ILVA announced its resignation on Saturday over the seizure of 8.1 billion euros ($10.5 billion) in assets from the Riva family, which controls the plant in the southern city of Taranto in Puglia. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU governments fail to reach deal on Syria arms embargo: Austria Monday, May 27, 2013 12:03 PM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union governments have failed to reach an agreement on easing an arms embargo on Syria to help rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad, Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said on Monday. EU foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday to bridge their differences over the issue, with Britain and France pushing to allow European governments to deliver arms. Austria and several other EU capitals oppose such moves. "I regret that after long talks it was not possible to find a compromise with the UK and France," Spindelegger told reporters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Center-left leading in Rome mayor election but run-off likely Monday, May 27, 2013 12:01 PM PDT By Steve Scherer and Naomi O'Leary ROME (Reuters) - The center-left candidate for Rome mayor in an election seen as a test of Italy's fragile coalition government was leading the field, projections showed on Monday, but the ballot is likely to go to a run-off next month. Ignazio Marino of the Democratic Party (PD) would get from 41 to 43 percent of the vote while his center-right rival, incumbent Gianni Alemanno of Silvio Berlusconi's center-right People of Freedom (PDL) party, was set to take 28-30 percent. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brezhnev plaque may once more adorn late Soviet leader's home Monday, May 27, 2013 11:50 AM PDT MOSCOW (Reuters) - A plaque commemorating late Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev may be restored to the facade of the Moscow apartment building where he lived, in a sign of nostalgia that has been harnessed by President Vladimir Putin. Critics say Brezhnev, who ruled longer than any Soviet leader except dictator Josef Stalin, presided over a period of political repression and economic stagnation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bashir threatens to close oil pipeline in row with South Sudan Monday, May 27, 2013 11:43 AM PDT  By Ulf Laessing KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan will close a pipeline carrying oil exports from South Sudan if Juba continues to support rebels operating on Sudanese soil, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said Monday. The long-time foes agreed to resume cross-border oil flows in March but relations have worsened in the past days over Sudan's accusations, which are denied by South Sudan. Landlocked South Sudan, which became independent from the north in 2011, needs to use northern oil facilities to sell its crude and have any hope of propping up its moribund economy. ... Full Story | Top |
| Libya denies Niger attacks launched from its territory Monday, May 27, 2013 11:31 AM PDT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Libya dismissed on Monday Niger's assertion that the Islamist insurgents who attacked an army base and a uranium mine there last week had come its desert south, an area many countries fear has become a safe haven for militants. Thursday's attacks killed 24 soldiers and one civilian and damaged machinery at an Areva mine that supplies uranium to France's nuclear power program. Militants said the raids were retaliation for Niger's role in the French-led war on Islamists in Mali. ... Full Story | Top |
| Congo warlord says will not back down from U.N. brigade Monday, May 27, 2013 11:23 AM PDT  By Jonny Hogg MUTAHO, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Eastern Congo's most powerful warlord stands on a hillside, surrounded by heavily armed fighters, and gazes down on the sprawling lakeside city of Goma spread invitingly below him in the distance. Exactly what General Sultani Makenga is contemplating for his M23 rebels is a matter of some urgency, both for a government that has struggled to contain the revolt and for a new U.N. force tasked with disarming Congo's insurgent groups. Six months ago, Makenga's fighters routed the ill-disciplined army and swept past U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU quizzes telcos on Apple sales tactics against rivals Monday, May 27, 2013 11:00 AM PDT  By Foo Yun Chee and Michael Perry BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators are seeking information whether Apple's iPhone distribution deals with mobile telecoms operators may be aimed at shutting out rival smartphones makers, in a move which could lead to a formal investigation into Apple. In a nine-page questionnaire sent to mobile telecoms companies last Friday and obtained by Reuters, the European Commission said such behavior may breach EU antitrust rules. ... Full Story | Top |
| Suspicious powder, political threats sent to Italian papers Monday, May 27, 2013 10:56 AM PDT MILAN (Reuters) - An envelope containing a suspicious white powder and threats to President Giorgio Napolitano and ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi was sent to the Milan headquarters of major newspaper Corriere della Sera on Monday, a police spokesman said. He said another envelope containing a grey powder was sent to the Milan offices of Il Giornale, a daily owned by the Berlusconi family. Il Giornale made no mention of any threats. According to Corriere della Sera, a short message in the envelope said "Berlusconi and Giorgio Napolitano will be killed. Traitor to the homeland". ... Full Story | Top |
| EADS to continue to work with Germany on scrapped drone deal Monday, May 27, 2013 10:46 AM PDT  FRANKFURT/BERLIN (Reuters) - European aerospace and defence group EADS and partner Northrop Grumman say they will continue to work with the German government on a drone project that Berlin canceled earlier this month. Germany scrapped the plans to purchase and modify Euro Hawk reconnaissance drones because of the cost of meeting standards required to win aviation approval. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gunmen kidnap two South African citizens in Yemen Monday, May 27, 2013 10:41 AM PDT SANAA (Reuters) - Unidentified gunmen seized two South African citizens in the Yemeni city of Taiz on Monday and police were trying to determine who was behind the kidnapping, an Interior Ministry source said. It was the latest attack targeting foreigners in the impoverished Arab state, where the government is struggling to restore law and order since a power transfer deal in late 2011 saw former President Ali Abdullah Saleh hand over to his deputy following months of pro-democracy protests. ... Full Story | Top |
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