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| Magnitude 5.7 quake strikes Northern California: U.S. Geological Survey Thursday, May 23, 2013 09:15 PM PDT (Reuters) - A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck in Northern California on Thursday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter of the quake was located 2 miles north-northeast of the town of Canyondam, the USGS said. An initial report said the quake was magnitude 5.9. A 5.7 magnitude quake is considered moderate, but has the potential to cause considerable damage. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. (Writing by the Americas Desk) Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela prosecutor to open probe over leaked recording Thursday, May 23, 2013 07:53 PM PDT  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's prosecutor's office said on Thursday it would open an investigation into in a recording the opposition says features a top government ally accusing the deputy head of the ruling Socialist Party of corruption and conspiring against the new president. Opposition deputies on Monday broadcast the recording of a conversation they said was between powerful state television commentator Mario Silva and a Cuban intelligence agent and later requested an investigation of it. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama shifts U.S. from 'perpetual war-footing,' limits drone strikes Thursday, May 23, 2013 06:18 PM PDT  By Matt Spetalnick and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday shifted the United States away from a "boundless global war on terror," restricting deadly drone strikes abroad and signaling that America's long struggle against al Qaeda will one day end. In a major policy speech, Obama narrowed the scope of the U.S. targeted-killing campaign against al Qaeda and its allies and took new steps toward closing the Guantanamo Bay military prison - controversial elements of the U.S. counterterrorism fight that have drawn condemnation at home and abroad. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bridge collapses in Washington state, sending cars into river Thursday, May 23, 2013 09:23 PM PDT By Jonathan Kaminsky OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) - Part of a four-lane freeway bridge over a river in a rural area north of Seattle collapsed on Thursday, sending vehicles and people into the frigid water below, authorities said. The collapse on Interstate 5 over the Skagit River happened at about 7 p.m. local time between the towns of Mount Vernon and Burlington, 55 miles north of Seattle, Washington State Patrol spokesman Trooper Mark Francis said. "I've got reports of vehicles and people in the water," Francis said. He added that he did not know if anyone was injured. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boy Scouts of America votes to end century-old ban on gay scouts Thursday, May 23, 2013 07:55 PM PDT  By Marice Richter GRAPEVINE, Texas (Reuters) - The Boy Scouts of America voted on Thursday to lift a century-old ban on openly gay scouts in a major victory for gay rights activists, but the decision means a sea of change for an organization that depends heavily on faith-based groups. More than 60 percent of the group's National Council, comprised of some 1,400 delegates, voted in favor of ending the ban, effective January 1, 2014, the group said in a statement. A prohibition on openly gay adult leaders remains in place. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Markets face rough summer ride as Fed pullback feared Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:37 PM PDT  By Rodrigo Campos NEW YORK (Reuters) - For the past few months, the Federal Reserve has been squarely in the financial markets' corner, thanks to its massive dollops of monetary stimulus. But signs that the central bank is discussing reducing that support by purchasing fewer bonds mean that trading is likely to get bumpier in coming months. The Fed's evolving stance was made apparent by Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke's remarks to Congress Wednesday, where he laid out the conditions that might cause the Fed to reduce its $85 billion a month buying of Treasuries and mortgage-backed bonds. ... Full Story | Top |
| British police ponder conspiracy after soldier murder Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:01 PM PDT  By Guy Faulconbridge and Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Police investigating the murder of a soldier hacked to death on a busy London street were looking on Friday into whether the two suspected killers, British men of Nigerian descent, were part of a wider conspiracy. The two suspects, aged 22 and 28, are under guard in hospitals after being shot and arrested by police following the murder of 25-year-old Afghan war veteran Lee Rigby on Wednesday in broad daylight. They have not yet been charged. ... Full Story | Top |
| Google faces new federal antitrust probe: source Thursday, May 23, 2013 05:54 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators are in the early stages of an antitrust probe into whether Google Inc, the top player in Web display advertising, breaks antitrust law in how it handles some advertising sales, a source told Reuters on Thursday. The source said that it was unlikely that the Federal Trade Commission had sent out civil investigative demands in relation to the probe, which would be the sign of a formal and more serious investigation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Proxy advisory firm settles SEC charges over data breach Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:08 PM PDT  By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Institutional Shareholder Services has settled civil charges by U.S. regulators that an employee of the prominent proxy advisory firm shared nonpublic voting data in exchange for meals and concert tickets. The Securities and Exchange Commission said on Thursday that ISS, a unit of MSCI Inc, will pay a $300,000 penalty and hire an independent compliance consultant. In settling, ISS neither admitted nor denied the SEC allegations that it violated financial adviser rules designed to prevent misuse of material non-public customer information. ... Full Story | Top |
| Former Goldman banker settles SEC 'pay-to-play' charges Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:10 PM PDT By Lisa Lambert and Jonathan Stempel WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - A former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. investment banker has agreed to a five-year securities industry ban and a record fine to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges that he broke rules against influence peddling to win bond underwriting business in Massachusetts. Without admitting or denying wrongdoing, Neil Morrison, 38, accepted what the SEC said was the first industry ban for violating "pay-to-play" rules governing the $3.7 trillion municipal bond market. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jobs, housing data show economy has some muscle Thursday, May 23, 2013 05:49 PM PDT  By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, pointing to resilience in the labor market despite belt-tightening by Washington. The improving employment picture is helping to prop up housing, with rising home prices keeping domestic consumption supported, limiting the drag from tighter fiscal policy that is dampening factory activity. "All the eggs are in housing and the consumers' baskets this quarter. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight: In attacker's argot, Londoners shocked to hear one of their own Thursday, May 23, 2013 01:04 PM PDT By Michael Holden and Peter Graff LONDON (Reuters) - In the lurid scene of the red-handed knifeman describing his motives for hacking to death a British soldier in broad daylight, perhaps the most chilling aspect for many Londoners was the man's unmistakably familiar accent. Michael Adebolajo, 28, who was filmed wielding a bloody meat cleaver and butcher's knife as the soldier lay dead on the road behind him, was not a maladjusted immigrant like Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, but a true Londoner born and bred. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU probes ally of Kosovo PM, ambassador for war crimes Thursday, May 23, 2013 11:11 AM PDT  By Fatos Bytyci PRISTINA (Reuters) - European Union police said on Thursday they had arrested five people, including a wartime ally of Kosovo's prime minister, and were investigating the ambassador to Albania on suspicion of war crimes during Kosovo's 1998-99 conflict. The EU police and justice mission in Kosovo, EULEX, did not release the names of the five in detention, but a lawyer for Sami Lushtaku, mayor of the town of Skenderaj, said his client was among them and would appear in court on Friday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boy Scouts of America vote ends long-standing ban on gay scouts Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:30 PM PDT  By Marice Richter GRAPEVINE, Texas (Reuters) - The Boy Scouts of America voted on Thursday to lift a ban on openly gay scouts that had been in place throughout the organization's 103-year history, capping weeks of intense lobbying on both sides, the group said in a statement. More than 60 percent of the group's National Council, composed of some 1,400 delegates, voted to end the ban effective January 1, 2014. A prohibition on openly gay adult leaders remains in place. ... Full Story | Top |
| Google faces new federal antitrust probe: source Thursday, May 23, 2013 03:09 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators are in the early stages of an antitrust probe into whether Google Inc, the top player in web display advertising, breaks antitrust law in how it handles some ad sales, a source told Reuters on Thursday. The source said that it was unlikely that the Federal Trade Commission had sent out civil investigative demands in relation to the probe, which would be the sign of a formal and more serious investigation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jobs, housing data show economy has some muscle Thursday, May 23, 2013 09:52 AM PDT  By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, pointing to resilience in the labor market despite belt-tightening by Washington. The improving employment picture is helping to prop up housing, with rising home prices keeping domestic consumption supported, limiting the drag from tighter fiscal policy that is dampening factory activity. "All the eggs are in housing and the consumers' baskets this quarter. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama shifts U.S. from 'perpetual war-footing,' limits drone strikes Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:35 PM PDT By Matt Spetalnick and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday shifted the United States away from a "boundless global war on terror," restricting deadly drone strikes abroad and signaling that America's long struggle against al Qaeda will one day end. In a major policy speech, Obama narrowed the scope of the U.S. targeted-killing campaign against al Qaeda and its allies and took new steps toward closing the Guantanamo Bay military prison - controversial elements of the U.S. counterterrorism fight that have drawn condemnation at home and abroad. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boy Scouts of America set to vote on gay youth ban Thursday, May 23, 2013 09:36 AM PDT  By Marice Richter GRAPEVINE, Texas (Reuters) - The Boy Scouts of America will vote on Thursday on a proposal to remove its ban on openly gay scouts that has been in place throughout the organization's 103-year history. The vote by more than 1,400 delegates comes amid intense lobbying by gay-rights activists and members of conservative organizations. The proposal would not remove the organization's ban on gay adult leaders. Representatives from both sides have rallied in Grapevine, Texas, near Dallas, where the scouting organization is hosting its national annual meeting. ... Full Story | Top |
| One dead, about 10 injured in Guinea opposition protest Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:08 PM PDT By Saliou Samb CONAKRY (Reuters) - One person was killed and about were 10 injured when security forces and supporters of Guinea's president clashed with protesters marching in the capital on Thursday against planned legislative elections. President Alpha Conde's opponents say he plans to rig the long-delayed polls due to take place on June 30. Conde took office in 2010 following the first democratic transfer of power in the mineral-rich nation since independence in 1958. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy's Berlusconi in tax fraud scheme as PM, judges say Thursday, May 23, 2013 10:11 AM PDT  MILAN (Reuters) - Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was involved in a tax fraud scheme while he was head of government, a Milan court said in a document released on Thursday explaining its earlier decision to uphold his four-year conviction. Berlusconi's mounting legal difficulties have created tension in Italy's fragile coalition government, over which he has veto power, and the tax fraud case is nearing its final appeal with a definitive judgment possible within a year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kerry meets Israelis, Palestinians in bid to revive talks Thursday, May 23, 2013 11:02 AM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry held separate talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials on Thursday and acknowledged there was considerable skepticism that the two sides would resume peace negotiations. There were no signs of any breakthrough as Kerry visited Israel for the fourth time in his four months in office to try to revive a peace process that has been moribund for more than two years. ... Full Story | Top |
| Congo has chance for peace, U.N. ready to enforce: Ban Thursday, May 23, 2013 11:38 AM PDT  By Jonny Hogg and Anna Yukhananov GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Eastern Congo has the best chance in years to secure a lasting peace but the United Nations stands ready to pacify the region by force if need be, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday. Fighting that erupted on Monday near Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's largest city, has killed at least 20 people and ended an uneasy six-month calm between the army and fighters from the M23 rebel group. ... Full Story | Top |
| Largest Bulgarian party clears way for new government Thursday, May 23, 2013 07:30 AM PDT  By Angel Krasimirov SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria's largest party GERB declined on Thursday to try to form a new government, opening the way for the rival Socialists to put together a technocrat administration and end a political impasse. Seeking to break a deadlock that could undermine the European Union's poorest economy, President Rosen Plevneliev immediately passed the baton to the Socialists, whose proposed government could be voted on next week. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea says willing to take China's advice to start talks Thursday, May 23, 2013 05:46 AM PDT  By Ben Blanchard and Sui-Lee Wee BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea is willing to take China's advice and enter into talks, Chinese state television cited an envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as saying, following weeks of tension on the Korean peninsula after the North's latest nuclear test. However, that prospect seems unlikely as North Korea has repeatedly said it will not abandon nuclear weapons while the United States insists North Korea must take meaningful steps on denuclearization before there can be talks. ... Full Story | Top |
| France wants Hezbollah armed wing on EU terror list by end-June Thursday, May 23, 2013 06:13 AM PDT  By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Thursday it hoped an initiative could be agreed by the end of June to put the armed wing of Hezbollah on the EU's list of terrorist organizations on grounds the group is importing Syria's war into Lebanon. Paris has traditionally been cautious about backing steps to sanction Hezbollah, fearing it could destabilize Lebanon and put U.N. peacekeepers at risk, but in recent weeks has said it would consider all options. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factory activity slips to seven-month low in May: Markit Thursday, May 23, 2013 06:17 AM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Manufacturing slowed for a second straight month in May as weak overseas demand and government belt-tightening at home led to the sector's most sluggish rate of growth since October, a survey showed on Thursday. Financial data firm Markit said its "flash," or preliminary, U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index fell to a seven-month low of 51.9 in May from 52.1 the previous month. A reading above 50 indicates expansion. The output subindex slipped to 52.8 from 53.7. The pace of hiring slipped to 52.2 from 53.2, the slowest since October. ... Full Story | Top |
| Taliban claim bomb in southwest Pakistan that kills 13 Thursday, May 23, 2013 06:01 AM PDT  PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility on Thursday for a bomb that killed 11 security personnel and two civilians in the southwestern city of Quetta. Sixteen people were wounded in the attack in the capital of Baluchistan province, and the death toll could rise, police said. The bomb was planted in a three-wheeled auto-rickshaw and blew up as a truck carrying the security men passed by. "We proudly claim responsibility for Thursday's blast in Quetta and the target was local police. ... Full Story | Top |
| Assad foe tells Syrian leader to cede power to officials Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:51 AM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Syrian opposition leader urged President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday to hand power to his deputy or his prime minister and then go abroad with 500 members of his entourage, without immunity from prosecution. Assad is likely to reject or ignore the 16-point peace plan proposed by Moaz Alkhatib, who resigned as head of the Western-backed opposition National Coalition in March, particularly given recent military gains by his forces against rebels. ... Full Story | Top |
| ECB seeks new tools while Fed toys with exit Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:57 AM PDT  By Leigh Thomas and Jason Lange PARIS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The European Central Bank is looking into expanding its range of policy tools, while the U.S. central bank is mulling scaling back its support measures, highlighting the contrasting fortunes between the world's two biggest economic blocs. ECB Executive Board member Peter Praet said late on Wednesday that the central bank could try new policies if needed to battle deflation risks, adding that the central bank was also weighing measures to encourage more lending in the euro zone. ... Full Story | Top |
| IMF's Lagarde in court for French arbitration case Thursday, May 23, 2013 04:16 AM PDT  By Chine Labbé PARIS (Reuters) - IMF chief Christine Lagarde was questioned in court by a French magistrate on Thursday over her role in a 285-million-euro ($366 million) arbitration payment made to a supporter of former president Nicolas Sarkozy. Lagarde risks being placed under formal investigation at the hearing for her 2007 decision as Sarkozy's finance minister to use arbitration to settle a long-running court battle between the state and high-profile businessman Bernard Tapie. ... Full Story | Top |
| Islamists kill 20 in suicide attacks in Niger Thursday, May 23, 2013 09:48 AM PDT By Abdoulaye Massalatchi NIAMEY (Reuters) - Islamist suicide bombers struck an army barracks and a French-run uranium mine in Niger on Thursday, officials said, killing 20 people and wounding dozens more in attacks that showed militant violence spreading across West Africa. The coordinated dawn assault on Areva's mine at Arlit and the military base in Agadez were claimed by the MUJWA militant group in retaliation for a French-led offensive this year against Islamist insurgents in neighboring Mali. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive :China urbanization plan hits roadblock over spending fears - sources Thursday, May 23, 2013 05:03 AM PDT  By Kevin Yao BEIJING (Reuters) - China's plan to spend $6.5 trillion on urbanization to bolster the economy is running into snags, sources close to the government said, as top leaders fear another spending binge could push up local debt levels and inflate a property bubble. Premier Li Keqiang has rejected an urbanization proposal drafted by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), seeking changes to put more emphasis on economic reform, according to the sources, who are familiar with the matter. ... Full Story | Top |
| Malaysia police arrest opposition figures in crackdown Thursday, May 23, 2013 02:12 AM PDT  By Siva Sithraputhran KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian police arrested several opposition politicians and activists on Thursday, launching a crackdown on dissent three weeks after an election exposed deep divisions in the country and sparked a series of opposition protest rallies. Police also raided the offices of opposition newspapers and seized thousands of copies of their publications, according to online media reports. ... Full Story | Top |
| Barred from poll, Rafsanjani calls Iranian leaders ignorant Thursday, May 23, 2013 02:45 AM PDT  By Marcus George and Yeganeh Torbati DUBAI (Reuters) - Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has accused Iran's leadership of incompetence and ignorance just days after he was barred from standing in an election next month, the opposition Kaleme website reported on Thursday. Rafsanjani's comments appeared to add to the political conflict between those loyal to the leadership and opposition groups who have been marginalized since post-election unrest in 2009. ... Full Story | Top |
| M23 rebels announce ceasefire for UN chief's Congo visit Thursday, May 23, 2013 01:02 AM PDT  By Jonny Hogg GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Rebels in eastern Congo announced a ceasefire on Thursday in fighting with government troops hours before a visit to the conflict-plagued zone by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim. "We've decided to announce this ceasefire to allow His Excellency Ban Ki-moon to visit Goma as he promised," Amani Kabasha, political spokesman for the M23 rebel group, told Reuters following several days of clashes in the east near Goma on the Democratic Republic of Congo's border with Rwanda. ... Full Story | Top |
| Portuguese leaders build faith in bailout exit Thursday, May 23, 2013 01:14 AM PDT  By Andrei Khalip LISBON (Reuters) - President Anibal Cavaco Silva thanked Portugal's patron saint for a long-delayed approval of Lisbon's bailout review last week, but the head of state could claim a share of the credit for himself. The conservative president's role has grown far beyond his figurehead status in the past few weeks. With the president on his side, Prime Minister Passos Coelho appears immune to opposition calls for an early election, despite a teetering coalition, record-low popularity in opinion polls and protests and strikes promised for late May and June. ... Full Story | Top |
| Five killed, 50 wounded in Lebanon's Tripoli Thursday, May 23, 2013 01:03 AM PDT TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - Five people were killed and more than 50 wounded in overnight clashes in Tripoli between Lebanese gunmen backing rival factions in Syria's civil war, doctors and security sources said on Thursday. Tripoli has suffered sporadic sectarian violence since the Sunni Muslim-led uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad broke out in March 2011, but after a night of mortar, grenade and machinegun fire, residents said this was the fiercest so far. ... Full Story | Top |
| Miners Vale, Rio Tinto accused of neglecting displaced Mozambicans Thursday, May 23, 2013 12:22 AM PDT  By Marina Lopes MAPUTO (Reuters) - Human Rights Watch accused Mozambique's government and foreign mining companies on Thursday of "serious shortcomings" in resettling communities to make way for coal mines, leaving thousands without proper homes, food or sources of income. In a report on the social impact of a mining boom in the war-scarred southern African country, the New York-based group noted the plight of more than 2,000 families displaced to make way for multi-billion dollar coal mines run by Vale and Rio Tinto. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Crackdown on radical Islamists tests Tunisia's stability Wednesday, May 22, 2013 10:15 PM PDT  By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - For the first time since the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011, relations between mainstream Islamists in government and radical Salafist Muslim activists have reached breaking point, sparking deadly clashes in two Tunisian cities. The rupture between the Ennahda party, the Tunisian arm of the Muslim Brotherhood which governs in coalition with secular parties, and the Ansar al-Sharia movement could have ramifications across north Africa, potentially fuelling armed insurrection in Tunisia and neighboring Algeria. ... Full Story | Top |
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