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| U.N. rights envoy says mob attacked his car in Myanmar Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 09:10 PM PDT  YANGON (Reuters) - A 200-strong mob attacked a U.N. human rights envoy's car in central Myanmar this week, kicking windows and doors and shouting abuse, as he arrived to investigate Buddhist-led violence against Muslims, the envoy said. Tomás Ojea Quintana, a U.N. special rapporteur on human rights, said the attack occurred on Monday at about 10.30 p.m. in Meikhtila, where a wave of anti-Muslim riots in March killed at least 43 people, destroyed hundreds of homes and displaced thousands. ... Full Story | Top |
| San Diego mayor accused of harassment reaches proposed settlement Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 09:02 PM PDT  By Marty Graham SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - San Diego Mayor Bob Filner and the city reached a proposed settlement on Wednesday in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against him by his former press secretary, the city attorney told reporters. The disclosure of the settlement on the third day of negotiations came on the same day a former star of a reality television show became the 18th woman to publicly accuse Filner of groping or other inappropriate behavior, in a scandal that has rocked California's second largest city. ... Full Story | Top |
| Assad's forces bombard Damascus suburbs after gas attack: activists Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 08:44 PM PDT  AMMAN (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad's forces bombarded rebel-held suburbs of Damascus on Thursday, activists said, keeping up pressure on the besieged region a day after the opposition accused the army of gassing hundreds in a chemical weapons attack. Rockets fired from multiple launchers and heavy mortar rounds hit the eastern neighborhoods of Jobar and Zamalka, among areas on the eastern outskirts of the capital affected by chemical weapons attack that killed between 500 and 1,300 people on Wednesday, they said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chinese court shows first picture of ousted politician Bo Xilai Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 08:37 PM PDT  JINAN, China (Reuters) - A Chinese court showed the first picture of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai in 17 months as he appeared at the start of his trial on Thursday. The picture, issued by the Jinan court in eastern China and shown on state media, showed a clean-shaven Bo standing in the dock without handcuffs, his hands crossed in front of him, and flanked by two policemen. (Reporting by John Ruwitch and Judy Hua; Editing by Ron Popeski) Full Story | Top |
| Republicans weigh using debt limit as leverage on Obamacare Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 08:35 PM PDT  By Caren Bohan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers, who staunchly oppose President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, are considering using a fall showdown over the country's borrowing limit as leverage to try to delay the law's implementation. The idea is gaining traction among Republican leaders in the House of Representatives, aides said on Wednesday. An aide to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said the debt limit is a "good leverage point" to try to force some action on the healthcare law known as "Obamacare. ... Full Story | Top |
| China's Bo Xilai goes on trial, culmination of dramatic fall Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 08:09 PM PDT  By John Ruwitch JINAN, China (Reuters) - Fallen Chinese politician Bo Xilai appeared in public for the first time in more than a year on Thursday to face trial in eastern China, the final chapter of the country's most politically charged case in more than three decades. Bo, the 64-year old former Communist Party chief of the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing, has been charged with bribery, corruption and abuse of power and will almost certainly be found guilty. ... Full Story | Top |
| Upbeat China August flash HSBC PMI points to stabilizing growth Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 07:51 PM PDT  By Kevin Yao BEIJING (Reuters) - Activity in China's vast manufacturing sector hit a four-month high in August as new orders rebounded, a preliminary private survey showed on Thursday, reinforcing signs of stabilization in the world's second-largest economy. The Flash HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 50.1 from July's final reading of 47.7, which was the weakest in 11 months, though it barely passed the watershed 50 line which demarcates expansion of activities from contraction. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria gas 'kills hundreds,' Security Council meets Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 07:46 PM PDT  By Dominic Evans and Khaled Yacoub Oweis BEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) - Syria's opposition accused government forces of gassing hundreds of people on Wednesday by firing rockets that released deadly fumes over rebel-held Damascus suburbs, killing men, women and children as they slept. With the death toll estimated between 500 and 1,300, what would be the world's most lethal chemical weapons attack since the 1980s prompted an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council in New York. The council did not explicitly demand a U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Abuse of power charge against China's Bo relates to murder case involving wife Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 07:43 PM PDT  JINAN, China (Reuters) - The charge of abuse of power against ousted former politician Bo Xilai relates to the murder case involving his wife, a court in eastern China said on Thursday. Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, was found guilty last year of the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood. Bo's former police chief, Wang Lijun, reported his suspicions about Gu to Bo, but Bo "boxed his ears", according to previous official accounts of Wang's trial last year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kidnapped California teen taken to Idaho calls herself a survivor Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 07:23 PM PDT  By Dan Whitcomb and Marty Graham (Reuters) - Hannah Anderson, a 16-year-old California girl kidnapped by a man and taken to Idaho after he killed her mother and younger brother, said in a television interview that she considers herself a survivor who was raised to be strong. The interview, which aired on Wednesday, comes just over a week after Anderson was rescued in the Idaho wilderness by FBI agents who shot and killed her captor, 40-year-old James Lee DiMaggio. ... Full Story | Top |
| Flamboyant Chinese princeling faces final indignity Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 07:08 PM PDT  By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - The writing was perhaps already on the wall for Bo Xilai, the controversial former top official of China's southwestern city of Chongqing, when he appeared at last year's parliamentary meeting, alternately chastened and combative. In earlier annual sessions of parliament, Bo had swept in, all smiles and lanky grace, preceded by a wave of TV cameras and popping flashbulbs. This time he was uncharacteristically restrained. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Main players in China's Bo Xilai scandal Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 07:04 PM PDT (Reuters) - Ousted senior Chinese politician Bo Xilai went on trial on Thursday, charged with bribery, abuse of power and corruption, the final chapter in a scandal that has rocked the political establishment in the world's second-largest economy. Here is a list of the key players in the scandal and what has happened to them: BO XILAI: Bo, 64, is a son of late vice-premier Bo Yibo, making the younger Bo a "princeling" - the term used for children of incumbent, retired or late revolutionary leaders. ... Full Story | Top |
| Actor Wentworth Miller says he's gay, turns down Russian festival invite Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 07:02 PM PDT  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor and screenwriter Wentworth Miller, best known for his leading role in Fox television drama "Prison Break," came out as a gay man on Wednesday in a letter declining an invitation to attend a Russian film festival in light of Moscow's recently adopted anti-gay laws. Miller, 41, turned down an offer to attend the St. Petersburg International Film Festival as a "guest of honor" in a letter posted on the website of advocacy group GLAAD, which monitors media representation of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people and issues. "Thank you for your kind invitation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pentagon cuts F-35 operating estimate below $1 trillion: source Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 06:54 PM PDT  By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government has slashed its estimate for the long-term operating costs of Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets by more than 20 percent to under $1 trillion, according to a senior defense official, a move that could boost international support for the program. The Pentagon has been under pressure for over a year to revise its estimate of maintaining a fleet of more than 2,000 F-35s over 55 years, with industry and military officials arguing that many of the assumptions were outdated and off base. ... Full Story | Top |
| Reality TV star becomes latest woman to accuse San Diego mayor of groping Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 06:48 PM PDT  By Marty Graham SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - A former star of a reality TV show on Wednesday became the 18th woman to publicly accuse San Diego Mayor Bob Filner of groping or other inappropriate behavior, as settlement talks in a sexual harassment suit against him entered a third day. Filner, meanwhile, was spotted inside City Hall on Wednesday in what was believed to be the first sighting of him there since he took a brief leave of absence to enter behavioral modification therapy early this month. ... Full Story | Top |
| County clerk in New Mexico begins issuing same-sex marriage licenses Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 06:14 PM PDT By Alex Dobuzinskis (Reuters) - A county clerk in southern New Mexico began handing out marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples on Wednesday, in a move the state's attorney general said he would not seek to stop as courts weigh lawsuits by same-sex couples seeking to wed. Doña Ana County Clerk Lynn Ellins told Reuters in a phone interview that his office by mid-afternoon had issued about 35 same-sex marriage licenses. He said the first same-sex couple that walked in to obtain a license said they had waited 31 years to wed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Marches, events to mark anniversary of King's 'dream' speech Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 06:12 PM PDT  By Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Marches, speeches and global bell-ringing are set to mark the 50th anniversary this month of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a dream" speech, a key event in the struggle of African Americans for racial equality. The week of commemorations in Washington will culminate on August 28, when President Barack Obama, the first black U.S. president, will speak at the Lincoln Memorial 50 years to the day after King made his historic address at the site. ... Full Story | Top |
| Detroit mayoral primary result in hands of state board Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 05:42 PM PDT By Steve Neavling DETROIT (Reuters) - More than two weeks after Detroit's August mayoral primary, a dispute over the counting of write-in ballots has left the election, much like the city's restructuring in bankruptcy court, in the hands of the state of Michigan. In unofficial city results, former hospital chief executive Mike Duggan won after a successful write-in campaign, defeating Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon in the August 6 primary. ... Full Story | Top |
| NSA collected 56,000 emails by Americans a year: documents Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 05:40 PM PDT  By Mark Hosenball and Tabassum Zakaria WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The National Security Agency may have unintentionally collected as many as 56,000 emails of Americans per year between 2008 and 2011 in a program that a secret U.S. court subsequently said may have violated U.S. law and the Constitution, according to documents released on Wednesday. The once-classified documents were released by U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Officials in three states fight suit against American Airlines-US Airways merger Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 05:33 PM PDT  By Kevin Gray and Karen Jacobs MIAMI/ATLANTA (Reuters) - Officials in three states are pushing back against the U.S. government's attempt to block the proposed merger of American Airlines and US Airways to create the world's biggest airline, saying the combined company would benefit their local economies. Last week, the U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit challenging the merger, saying it would reduce competition among air carriers and ultimately lead to higher fares for passengers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Biden says son to return home after 'successful' medical procedure Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 05:24 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that his son Beau had undergone "a successful procedure" and would return to Delaware after going to Houston on Monday for tests to probe the cause of symptoms that included weakness and disorientation. Biden provided no other details. News reports said doctors had discovered a mass in the son's brain and that he had undergone tests for cancer at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Beau Biden, 44, is the vice president's oldest son and the attorney general of the state of Delaware. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brother speaks warmly in court of American soldier in Afghan rampage Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 04:56 PM PDT  By Jonathan Kaminsky TACOMA, Washington (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier who gunned down 16 Afghan civilians last year was an attentive father of two children and a duty-bound Army man before the attacks, his brother testified at a sentencing hearing on Wednesday. William Bales spoke warmly of his youngest brother, Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, saying the former high school football player left a carefree bachelor life behind to enlist in the military in the aftermath of al Qaeda attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. ... Full Story | Top |
| Divisive, dramatic case of China's Bo Xilai comes to trial Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 04:49 PM PDT  By John Ruwitch JINAN, China (Reuters) - Police blocked entry to a courthouse in the eastern Chinese city of Jinan on Thursday where the trial of ousted politician Bo Xilai is to open, the final, dramatic chapter of the country's most politically charged case in more than three decades. A convoy of police cars and a minivan entered the courthouse around 7.10 a.m. (6.10 p.m. EDT), possibly carrying Bo. Police lined roads leading to the courthouse and blocked its two gates. Dozens of journalists stood in a box that was cordoned off for the media across the street. ... Full Story | Top |
| Guantanamo guards gave 'Shades of Grey' novel to prisoner, lawyer says Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 04:33 PM PDT By Jane Sutton GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - Prison guards gave one of the alleged 9/11 conspirators a copy of the erotic novel "Fifty Shades of Grey," according to a defense lawyer who suggested on Wednesday that the unwanted gift was part of a campaign aimed at discrediting his client. U.S. Representative Jim Moran of Virginia caused a sensation last month when he returned from a visit to the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and quoted guards as saying the soft-porn "Grey" novels were the most-requested reading material among the prison's highest-profile inmates. ... Full Story | Top |
| Japan manufacturers' optimism hits three-year high: Reuters Tankan Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 04:32 PM PDT  By Stanley White and Izumi Nakagawa TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese manufacturers' optimism improved to the highest level in three years, a Reuters poll showed, as a weak yen boosted earnings for exporters of textiles, chemicals, steel and other metals. The index of sentiment derived from a monthly Reuters survey of manufacturers rose by 3 points to plus 16 in August, which matched the level it was at in November 2010. A positive readings shows optimists outnumbered pessimists. ... Full Story | Top |
| As Obamacare rollout nears, president checks in with state officials Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 04:22 PM PDT  By Mark Felsenthal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama sought a progress report from state officials on Wednesday on the rollout of his signature health care law, stepping up his profile on the issue as the launch of a key provision of the law nears on October 1. Obama spoke by videoconference with the officials responsible for setting up new online health insurance exchanges that are at the heart of the program. These markets will offer private coverage at federally subsidized rates to individuals and families with low-to-moderate incomes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fort Hood shooter rests defense case without calling witnesses Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 04:11 PM PDT  By Karen Brooks and Jana J. Pruet FORT HOOD, Texas (Reuters) - The U.S. Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 fellow soldiers and wounding 31 others in a rampage at Foot Hood, Texas, in 2009 rested his defense case in his court-martial on Wednesday without calling any witnesses to testify. Major Nidal Hasan, acting as his own defense attorney, has remained largely passive in court since telling the jury in opening arguments, "The evidence will clearly show that I am the shooter. ... Full Story | Top |
| Divided Egypt prepares to release Mubarak from jail Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 04:02 PM PDT  By Michael Georgy and Shadia Nasralla CAIRO (Reuters) - Deposed Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak could leave prison on Thursday after a court ruling that further divided a country in turmoil since the army toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi seven weeks ago. Convening at the Cairo jail where Mubarak is held, the court ordered the release of the military man who ruled Egypt for 30 years with an iron fist until he was overthrown during the uprisings that swept the Arab world in early 2011. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. Security Council says 'clarity' needed after alleged Syria attack Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 03:59 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council said it was necessary to clarify an alleged chemical weapons attack in the suburbs of Damascus on Wednesday but stopped short of explicitly demanding a probe by U.N. investigators in Syria. "There is a strong concern among council members about the allegations and a general sense that there must be clarity on what happened and the situation must be followed closely," Argentina's U.N. ambassador, Maria Cristina Perceval, told reporters after a closed-door emergency meeting of the council. While the council did not explicitly call for a U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada focused on need for competition in telecoms: minister Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 03:06 PM PDT By Randall Palmer OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada is focused on boosting competition in the telecom sector and will examine any move by industry leader Rogers Communications Inc to back a private equity bid for two small wireless carriers, Industry Minister James Moore said on Wednesday. The deal would be a way to thwart the possible entry of U.S. giant Verizon Communications Inc into a Canadian market where Rogers and two other players, BCE Inc and Telus Corp , hold some 90 percent. ... Full Story | Top |
| Documents show NSA may have collected tens of thousands of emails of Americans Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 02:55 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence officials released new documents on Wednesday showing that the National Security Agency may have unintentionally collected as many as 56,000 emailed communications of Americans per year between 2008 and 2011. The officials revealed the documents as part of an effort to explain how the NSA spotted, and then fixed, technical problems which led to the inadvertent collection of emails of American citizens without warrants. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bankruptcy judge considers opening secret Detroit 'data room' Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 02:51 PM PDT By Bernie Woodall and Joseph Lichterman DETROIT (Reuters) - The city of Detroit may have to publicly disclose at least some of the financial information in its digital vault, which includes what the city's fiscal future could look like. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes on Wednesday accepted an offer by Jones Day, the law firm handling the city's July 18 municipal bankruptcy filing, to go through about 7,000 pages of financial information in a digital "data room" in the next few days and identify which documents could be made public. ... Full Story | Top |
| Arizona and Kansas sue U.S. over voter registration law Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 02:48 PM PDT By David Schwartz PHOENIX (Reuters) - Kansas and Arizona filed a lawsuit against the U.S. federal government on Wednesday, seeking court approval for states to require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote. The lawsuit brought by the two Republican-led states accuses an agency of President Barack Obama's Democratic administration of preventing them from enforcing state laws that require proof of citizenship as a way to prevent illegal immigrants from voting. The suit, part of an on-going battle over voter registration laws being waged nationwide, demands that the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy's Letta meets centre right, fails to resolve problems Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 02:46 PM PDT  By Catherine Hornby ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta met with Silvio Berlusconi's center-right party on Wednesday to seek a solution to a stand-off that threatens his fragile coalition, but positions remained "distant", a government source said. Berlusconi's conviction for tax fraud has shaken the stability of the left-right coalition, with the former prime minister's People of Freedom (PDL) party demanding guarantees for his political future. ... Full Story | Top |
| Family of California kidnapper may seek DNA tests on children Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 02:43 PM PDT By Dan Whitcomb and Marty Graham (Reuters) - The family of a California man who kidnapped a 16-year-old girl after killing her mother and younger brother want more answers from police and has considered seeking DNA tests to determine if he is the children's biological father, a family spokesman said on Wednesday. Family members of James Lee DiMaggio were trying to understand what could have prompted the computer technician to kill 44-year-old Christina Anderson and her son, 8-year-old Ethan Anderson, and set fire to his rural San Diego area home, Andrew Spanswick told Reuters in an interview. ... Full Story | Top |
| China to join global crackdown on tax evasion Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 02:31 PM PDT By Stella Dawson WASHINGTON, Aug 21 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - China has agreed to join the international effort by the Group of 20 leading economies to combat tax evasion by signing an agreement to share tax records, the OECD said Wednesday. China's decision means that all G20 countries now have agreed to cooperate on tax avoidance, a priority set by global leaders to address the causes of the 2007-2009 financial crisis and to help combat corruption. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ousted Egyptian leader Mubarak to be put under house arrest Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 02:26 PM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Deposed Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak will be put under house arrest, the prime minister's office said on Wednesday. Mubarak, who was toppled in a 2011 uprising, is expected to be released from a Cairo prison on Thursday. "In the context of the emergency law, the deputy military commander issued an order that Mohamed Hosni Mubarak should be put under house arrest," read a statement from the office. (Reorting by Asma Alsharif; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Andrew Heavens) Full Story | Top |
| Duncan, Oklahoma schools get threats, go on alert after murder of Australian athlete Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 02:16 PM PDT  By Heide Brandes OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Public schools in Duncan, Oklahoma, were on alert on Wednesday after police received threats against Duncan High School following the arrest of three teenagers in connection with the killing of a university student from Australia. The school, in a town of 24,000 about 80 miles south of Oklahoma City, was told of the anonymous threats on Tuesday night by police, schools superintendent Sherry Labyer said in a message on the Duncan Public Schools' website. The nature of the threats was not known. ... Full Story | Top |
| Few clues on timing of QE3 reduction in Fed minutes Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 02:14 PM PDT  By Jonathan Spicer and Steven C. Johnson NEW YORK (Reuters) - A few Federal Reserve officials thought last month it would soon be time to slow the pace of their bond buying "somewhat" but others counseled patience, according to meeting minutes that offered little hint on when the U.S. central bank might reduce its support for the U.S. economy. The minutes of the Fed's July 30-31 meeting, released on Wednesday, showed that almost all of the 12 members of the policy-making Federal Open Market Committee agreed changing the stimulus was not yet appropriate. ... Full Story | Top |
| SEC's JPMorgan probe threatens cozy tradition of "client hires" Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 02:09 PM PDT  By Lawrence White HONG KONG (Reuters) - The U.S. government's bribery investigation into JPMorgan's employment of at least two Chinese bankers has prompted banks and other corporations across the globe to take a close look at their hiring practices. One strategy that is certain to come under scrutiny is the "client hire". Enlisting the relative of a top customer for a summer internship or an entry-level job is common to businesses worldwide, but it's especially rife in banking. ... Full Story | Top |
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