| | |
| BOJ maintains stimulus, keeps economic view intact Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 09:10 PM PDT  By Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan kept monetary policy steady and held off on revising up its assessment of the economy on Thursday, opting to wait for more clues on whether the increasingly positive mood will encourage companies to ramp up spending. Bank lending rose nearly 2 percent in July from a year earlier, the biggest increase in four years, BOJ data showed earlier in the day, boding well for the central bank's efforts to boost lending with its aggressive monetary stimulus. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fonterra CEO says sees no drop in orders after food safety scare Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 09:04 PM PDT  WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Fonterra CEO Theo Spierings on Thursday said that he had not seen a reduction in the dairy exporter's customers since it was found to have produced contaminated dairy ingredients, while acknowledging the risk that its bottom line may take a hit in the future. "The answer to that question is no," he said in response to a reporter's query at a news conference regarding whether the company has seen a reduction in orders since the announcement that Fonterra had discovered it had exported tainted whey protein powder nearly a week ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| New letter from American held in North Korea points to poorer health Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 08:48 PM PDT  By Eric M. Johnson LYNNWOOD, Washington (Reuters) - Kenneth Bae, a U.S. citizen imprisoned in North Korea for crimes against the state, made a fresh appeal to the U.S. government for help and chronicled his declining health in a letter that reached his family on Wednesday, his sister said. Bae was sentenced in early May to 15 years of hard labor after North Korea's Supreme Court convicted him of state subversion, saying the 45-year-old Christian missionary had used his tourism business to form groups to overthrow the government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Investor group sues California city over eminent domain loan plan Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 08:38 PM PDT  (Reuters) - An investor group filed a federal lawsuit against Richmond, California, to prevent the city from using eminent domain to seize mortgages of local residents who owe more than their properties are worth in a bid to keep them in their homes. The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday in a northern California court by mortgage bond trustees Wells Fargo and Deutsche Bank on behalf of an investor group that includes Pacific Investment Management Co, or PIMCO, BlackRock Inc and DoubleLine Capital LP. ... Full Story | Top |
| Detroit manager's hope: a clean balance sheet in 14 months Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 06:54 PM PDT  By Nick Carey DETROIT (Reuters) - Detroit's emergency manager voiced confidence on Wednesday that the city could emerge from bankruptcy before his term expires in October 2014 and possibly without having to borrow more money. Even so, Kevyn Orr, the bankruptcy expert who was appointed in March to a post that gives him almost unlimited power over Detroit's finances, warned that the path back to financial health will not be painless for Detroit's creditors. ... Full Story | Top |
| Japan says PM Abe will set up panel on sales tax hike Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 06:50 PM PDT  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will set up a panel to study the impact of a planned sales tax hike on the economy, the government's top spokesman said on Thursday. The panel would be formed by Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, Economy Minister Akira Amari, Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda and other officials who would assess the state of the economy by consulting experts and business leaders, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters at a regular press conference. ... Full Story | Top |
| San Diego mayor wins postponement of deposition in harassment case Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 06:46 PM PDT  By Marty Graham SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - A judge postponed embattled San Diego Mayor Bob Filner's deposition in a high-profile sexual harassment lawsuit on Wednesday after lawyers for the 70-year-old Democrat said he would be in intensive therapy at the time. Filner faces mounting pressure to resign after a string of women publicly accused him of making unwanted sexual advances. He refused to step down but has acknowledged disrespectful conduct and on Sunday entered a clinic for two weeks of behavioral counseling. ... Full Story | Top |
| George W. Bush 'doing great' day after surgery for blocked artery Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 06:38 PM PDT  By Marice Richter DALLAS (Reuters) - Former President George W. Bush was recovering at his home in Dallas on Wednesday, a day after undergoing surgery for a blocked artery, a Bush spokesman said. Bush, 67, is "doing great," his spokesman Freddy Ford said, after a stent, a wire mesh coil used to prop open arteries, was placed in the former president's heart at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas on Tuesday. The blockage was discovered on Monday during Bush's annual physical at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas. His doctors recommended the stent and Bush agreed to the procedure, Ford said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: IRS manual detailed DEA's use of hidden intel evidence Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 06:23 PM PDT  By John Shiffman and David Ingram WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Details of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration program that feeds tips to federal agents and then instructs them to alter the investigative trail were published in a manual used by agents of the Internal Revenue Service for two years. The practice of recreating the investigative trail, highly criticized by former prosecutors and defense lawyers after Reuters reported it this week, is now under review by the Justice Department. Two high-profile Republicans have also raised questions about the procedure. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt at 'dangerous stalemate' in political crisis Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 06:14 PM PDT  By Shadia Nasralla and Angus MacSwan CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's political crisis entered a tense phase on Wednesday after international mediation efforts collapsed and the army-installed government repeated its threat to take action against supporters of deposed President Mohamed Mursi. Both sides called their supporters on to the streets on Thursday, while Mursi supporters in two protest camps in Cairo strengthened sandbag-and-brick barricades in readiness for any action by security forces. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. military satellite, paid for by Australia, launched into orbit Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 06:13 PM PDT  By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - An unmanned Delta 4 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Wednesday carrying a communications satellite for the U.S. military and its partners, including Australia, which paid for the spacecraft and launch services. The Delta rocket, topped with the sixth Wideband Global Satcom, or WGS, spacecraft lifted off at 8:29 p.m. EDT and soared out over the Atlantic Ocean, illuminated by the setting sun, as it headed into space. ... Full Story | Top |
| JPMorgan faces criminal and civil probes over mortgages Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 05:40 PM PDT  By David Henry (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co, the biggest U.S. bank by assets, said on Wednesday that it faces a criminal probe by the U.S. Department of Justice over sales of mortgage-backed securities and that civil investigators have already concluded it violated securities laws. In a quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, JPMorgan said it is responding to "parallel investigations" being conducted by the civil and criminal divisions of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California over mortgage-backed securities. ... Full Story | Top |
| Publishers object to U.S. restrictions on Apple in e-books case Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 04:39 PM PDT  By Nate Raymond (Reuters) - Five of the largest U.S. publishers objected to tough new restrictions sought by the U.S. government against Apple Inc for illegally conspiring to raise e-book prices. In a motion filed on Wednesday in U.S. district court in Manhattan, the publishers said a proposed final order in the case would effectively prevent Apple from entering agreements that limit its ability to discount books. The publishers said provisions proposed by the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Putin will not 'cave' to Obama pressure: Snowden's father Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 04:29 PM PDT  By Tabassum Zakaria and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The father of Edward Snowden, the fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor, predicted on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will stand up to pressure from Washington as the two nations spar over Moscow's decision to grant his son asylum. Lon Snowden's comments came on the day that President Barack Obama canceled a summit meeting with Putin planned for next month in retaliation for Russia giving refuge to Edward Snowden. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. officials say NSA leaks may hamper cyber policy debate Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 04:00 PM PDT  By Alina Selyukh NEW YORK (Reuters) - Weeks of revelations about secret U.S. surveillance programs could stymie progress on negotiations over new laws and regulations meant to beef up the country's defenses against the growing threat of cyber attacks, cyber security experts say. Current and former cybersecurity officials say they worry the ongoing disclosures about secret National Security Agency spying programs by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden could trigger hasty or rash actions by Congress or the private sector, hampering efforts to enact an effective cyber policy. ... Full Story | Top |
| Arizona's 'Rock Burglar' sentenced to nearly 23 years in prison Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 03:58 PM PDT By David Schwartz PHOENIX (Reuters) - An Arizona man dubbed the "Rock Burglar", for using melon-sized rocks to break windows and enter homes of notable people such as former vice president Dan Quayle, was sentenced to nearly 23 years in prison on Wednesday, officials said. Under the ruling from Judge Pamela Svoboda in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, Robert James Neese, 60, will have his prison sentence reduced by more than two years for time already served for the $10 million crime spree. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York City police to purge stop-and-frisk database of names Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 03:46 PM PDT By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York City Police Department has agreed to purge a database of names and addresses of people stopped by police under the NYPD's controversial stop-and-frisk program but later cleared of criminal wrongdoing. The department will scrub the information as part of a settlement ending a lawsuit filed in 2010 in state court by the New York Civil Liberties Union, which announced the agreement on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lawyers for U.S. soldier in Afghan killings want prosecutors ousted Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 03:38 PM PDT By Eric M. Johnson and Jonathan Kaminsky (Reuters) - Attorneys for a U.S. soldier who pleaded guilty in June to killing 16 Afghan civilians in cold blood have moved to dismiss the prosecution team weeks before a scheduled sentencing hearing that will decide if he will ever have a chance at parole. Military prosecutors were mistakenly given an unredacted copy of a court-ordered report evaluating the mental health of Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, which civilian defense lawyer John Henry Browne said would give them an unfair advantage in the sentencing portion of the case. ... Full Story | Top |
| Detroit may get through bankruptcy without new borrowing: Orr Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 03:30 PM PDT  By Nick Carey DETROIT (Reuters) - Detroit's emergency manager voiced confidence on Wednesday that the city should be able to emerge from bankruptcy before his term expires in October 2014, and possibly without having to borrow new money. Even so, Kevyn Orr, the bankruptcy expert who was appointed in March to a post that gives him almost unlimited power over Detroit's finances, warned that the path back to financial health will not be painless. ... Full Story | Top |
| Railway in deadly Quebec explosion files for bankruptcy Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 03:23 PM PDT  By Louise Egan and Tom Hals OTTAWA/WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) - The railway whose runaway train killed 47 people in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, last month filed for bankruptcy protection in Canada and the United States on Wednesday as it faces mounting pressure from authorities to pay for the disaster cleanup. Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Ltd (MMA) filed for bankruptcy in both countries to preserve the value of its assets for a potential sale, according to court documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Maine. It said total monthly revenues of its Canadian and U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama cancels meeting with Russia's Putin over Snowden decision Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 03:16 PM PDT  By Susan Heavey and Mark Felsenthal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday canceled a Moscow summit with President Vladimir Putin planned for next month in retaliation for Russia's decision to grant asylum to fugitive U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden. The move marks a stark low point in U.S.-Russian relations and raised questions about the "reset" in ties that Obama embarked on in his first term to try to gain more diplomatic cooperation, only to find that deep differences remained. ... Full Story | Top |
| Congress wins relief on Obamacare health plan subsidies Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 03:15 PM PDT  By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress has won some partial relief for lawmakers and their staffs from the "Obamacare" health reforms that it passed and subjected itself to three years ago. In a ruling issued on Wednesday, U.S. lawmakers and their staffs will continue to receive a federal contribution toward the health insurance that they must purchase through soon-to-open exchanges created by President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law. ... Full Story | Top |
| NYC mayoral slugfest: Weiner calls McDonald 'grandpa', called 'punk' in return Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 02:57 PM PDT  By Francesca Trianni NEW YORK (Reuters) - In the latest sideshow in Anthony Weiner's bid to become New York City's mayor, he called Republican candidate George McDonald "grandpa", McDonald then called Weiner a "punk", and AARP, the group for Americans over 50 that brought them together, said Weiner's remark was "unfortunate." Tensions between Weiner, 48, and McDonald intensified during a debate last week when McDonald called Weiner a "self-pleasuring freak." On Tuesday, the two clashed when Weiner tapped his opponent on the chest to greet him at an AARP candidates' forum. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bank of England chief struggles to demystify recovery for Britons Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 02:48 PM PDT  By Guy Faulconbridge and Max De Haldevang LONDON (Reuters) - If Mark Carney planned his first media outing as 'superstar' chief of the Bank of England to reassure the British public of the bank's efforts to juice up Britain's weak recovery, he could be back at the drawing board this evening. In a steely performance, the former Goldman Sachs banker struggled to demystify for the press the intricacies of "forward guidance" - advance notice that he's not going to tighten monetary conditions too fast or too soon. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bank of Japan to maintain stimulus, debate offering rosier view on economy Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 02:47 PM PDT  By Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan is expected to maintain its massive monetary stimulus on Thursday as its board debates whether growing bright signs from prices and the job market justify offering a rosier view on the economy. Many central bankers are confident an economic recovery is on track, encouraged by data such as the first rise in core consumer prices in more than a year, the first increase in summer bonuses in three years and a fall in the jobless rate to a 4-1/2 year low. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Whitey' Bulger jury mulls Boston mob trial verdict, questions judge Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 02:43 PM PDT By Richard Valdmanis BOSTON (Reuters) - The statute of limitations does not shield James "Whitey" Bulger from murder and racketeering charges stemming from crimes more than 30 years old, the judge overseeing the Boston mobster's trial told the jury on Wednesday. U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper also set the jury straight on a question about the complicated racketeering law that was raised on the second day of deliberations after nearly eight weeks of testimony. The jury of eight men and four women approached the judge twice. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jackie Robinson statue defaced with slurs in Brooklyn Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 02:42 PM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - Vandals defaced a statue of barrier-breaking baseball star Jackie Robinson in Brooklyn, scrawling a racial slur, a swastika and anti-Semitic language on the figure outside a minor league baseball park, police said on Wednesday. The hate crimes task force was investigating and no arrests had been made, a police spokeswoman said. The statue depicts former Brooklyn Dodgers player Pee Wee Reese putting his arm around his teammate, Robinson, who became the first black player in the modern era of Major League Baseball in 1947. ... Full Story | Top |
| Central bank chief Carney struggles to demistify recovery for Britons Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 02:34 PM PDT  By Guy Faulconbridge and Max De Haldevang LONDON (Reuters) - If Mark Carney planned his first media outing as 'superstar' chief of the Bank of England to reassure the British public of the bank's efforts to juice up Britain's weak recovery, he could be back at the drawing board this evening. In a steely performance, the former Goldman Sachs banker struggled to demystify for the press the intricacies of "forward guidance" - advance notice that he's not going to tighten monetary conditions too fast or too soon. ... Full Story | Top |
| New economic signposts needed as China targets consumer-led growth Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 02:33 PM PDT  By Wayne Cole and Kevin Yao BEIJING/SYDNEY (Reuters) - Forget electricity production and iron ore imports. China watchers today pore over box office receipts or furniture sales to judge where the country is heading as Beijing plots a course toward consumption-led growth. Incidentally, both gauges are holding up reasonably well, economists say, backing the official line that the world's second-largest economy is slowing, but not as dramatically as feared by pessimists. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ghana court says to rule on election challenge by August 29 Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 02:29 PM PDT By Matthew Mpoke Bigg ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghana's Supreme Court said on Wednesday it will rule by August 29 on an opposition challenge to the result of December's presidential election that was won by incumbent John Mahama. The outcome could have big implications for the West African state where investor excitement over its strong economy - GDP is expected to grow by 8 percent in 2013 for the second consecutive year - is tempered by concern over macroeconomic instability. ... Full Story | Top |
| Two Democrats appear to advance in Seattle mayoral race Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 02:25 PM PDT  By Jonathan Kaminsky (Reuters) - Two left-leaning Democrats appeared poised to advance from a crowded non-partisan primary in the race for Seattle mayor on Wednesday, setting up a likely November showdown between an activist-minded incumbent and a challenger promising a more inclusive governing style. Incumbent Mayor Mike McGinn, a bearded former Sierra Club executive, had roughly 27 percent of the vote, based on the ballots received so far in the August 6 mail-in primary. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama speaks out against sexual assault during military base stop Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 02:12 PM PDT  By Jeff Mason CAMP PENDLETON, Calif (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama used a stop at a military base in California on Wednesday to speak out against sexual assault within the U.S. armed services. Finishing a two-day trip to Arizona and California during which he promoted new housing reform proposals, Obama came to Camp Pendleton to thank military members for their service and warn Americans that al Qaeda was still a threat. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: More than dairy scare needed to topple top pick New Zealand dollar Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 02:10 PM PDT  By Vidya Ranganathan and Gyles Beckford SINGAPORE/WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A sudden slump in the New Zealand dollar this week as the country's biggest dairy exporter was hit by a contamination scare put the spotlight on a currency that is one of world's top investments. As dairy giant Fonterra was hit by restrictions on its products in China and other foreign countries, the currency got a rare and brief reprieve from its surging strength, plunging to a year low. But few are betting the respite will last for long as the odds of a wider fallout from the Fonterra episode seemed pretty low. ... Full Story | Top |
| Judge orders BP to pay $130 million fees to Gulf claims program Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 02:03 PM PDT  NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - BP Plc must pay $130 million to a court-appointed administrator overseeing payments to thousands of people who claimed they were hurt by the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday, in a fresh legal setback for the oil company. BP had balked at funding the third-quarter operating budget for the administrator, Louisiana lawyer Patrick Juneau, complaining that his bill contained "excessive costs." But U.S. Magistrate Judge Sally Shushan in New Orleans ruled that it was "unreasonable" for BP to halt funding. ... Full Story | Top |
| Oskar Schindler documents up for auction in U.S. Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 01:58 PM PDT  BOSTON (Reuters) - A historically important letter from Oskar Schindler, the German industrialist whose efforts to save Jews from the Holocaust were made famous in the 1993 Oscar-winning film "Schindler's List," is among the Schindler documents to be sold at New Hampshire auction house. The one-page letter signed by Schindler was sent from his enamelware factory in Krakow, Poland, where he employed more than 1,000 Jewish workers from a nearby Nazi concentration camp, Bobby Livingston, vice president at RR Auction, said on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Father of Chechen man shot by FBI after Boston bombings in U.S. to probe killing Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 01:54 PM PDT By Barbara Liston ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - The father of an unarmed Orlando Muslim shot to death in May by an FBI agent during questioning related to the Boston Marathon bombings has arrived in Florida from Russia for meetings with lawyers trying to pry details of the killing from U.S. and local officials. Abdulbaki Todashev has retained lawyers who expect to settle on a legal strategy within a few weeks, said Hassan Shibly, executive director of the Florida Council on American Islamic Relations. ... Full Story | Top |
| Czech PM loses confidence vote, chances of early election grow Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 01:46 PM PDT  By Jan Lopatka and Robert Muller PRAGUE (Reuters) - The new Czech cabinet formed by allies of leftist President Milos Zeman lost a confidence vote on Wednesday in a split vote that made it likely the country will hold an early election before the end of the year, possibly as soon as October. Zeman appointed his long-term supporter, economist Jiri Rusnok, in June, bypassing political parties that had proposed other options and accused Zeman of usurping powers that belong to parliament. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt rulers need to talk to Brotherhood: Dutch minister Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 01:45 PM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Diplomatic mediation failed to break Egypt's political deadlock because the country's new rulers see no point in talking to the Muslim Brotherhood, but they will have to do so eventually, the visiting Dutch foreign minister said on Wednesday. Frans Timmermans was in Cairo for talks with the authorities and opposition parties on the day international efforts to facilitate a compromise collapsed, five weeks after the army ousted elected Islamist President Mohamed Mursi. ... Full Story | Top |
| Czech president retains upper hand despite parliamentary defeat Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 01:43 PM PDT  By Jan Lopatka PRAGUE (Reuters) - Ultimately Czech President Milos Zeman couldn't quite beat the parliamentary arithmetic, but he still emerged on Wednesday with the upper hand over old political rivals in his remarkable comeback from the wilderness. While his prime minister lost a confidence motion, Zeman blithely told parliament before it had even voted that he would stay for some time - "even if you put me on the rack". ... Full Story | Top |
| Dutch embassy in Yemen was potential terror target: Foreign Minister Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 01:39 PM PDT  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands has extended the closure of its embassy in Sana'a and pulled all diplomatic staff out of Yemen because its mission was a potential target of a terror attack, Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said in a statement on Wednesday. The decision was based on information from various intelligence agencies that several Western countries, including the Netherlands, were potential targets of a planned terror attack, a foreign ministry spokesman added. ... Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment