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| Obama 'disappointed' with Russia, calls embassy threat significant Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 07:49 PM PDT  By Jeff Mason BURBANK, California (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama confirmed on Tuesday that he would go to Russia this fall for a G20 summit but said he was "disappointed" that Russia granted temporary asylum to former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden. Speaking on NBC's "The Tonight Show" with host Jay Leno, Obama said Moscow sometimes slipped into a Cold War mentality, despite being cooperative with the United States on some issues, including counterterrorism efforts in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tens of thousands rally to oust Tunisian government Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 07:04 PM PDT  By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Tunisians crowded the streets of downtown Tunis on Tuesday to demand the transitional government's ouster, in the largest opposition protest since the country's political crisis began two weeks ago. The secular opposition, angered by two assassinations in its ranks and emboldened by the army-backed toppling of Egypt's Islamist president, is trying to topple Tunisia's government led by the moderate Islamist party Ennahda. ... Full Story | Top |
| New U.S. spying revelations coming from Snowden leaks: journalist Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 06:43 PM PDT  By Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) - Glenn Greenwald, the American journalist who published documents leaked by fugitive former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, plans to make new revelations "within the next 10 days or so" on secret U.S. surveillance of the Internet. "The articles we have published so far are a very small part of the revelations that ought to be published," Greenwald on Tuesday told a Brazilian congressional hearing that is investigating the U.S. internet surveillance in Brazil. "There will certainly be many more revelations on spying by the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| China fines foreign milk powder makers after price probe Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 08:18 PM PDT  By Kazunori Takada and Martinne Geller SHANGHAI/NEW YORK (Reuters) - China fined three companies including Mead Johnson Nutrition Co and New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra in relation to a probe into price fixing and anti-competitive practices by foreign baby formula makers. The third company penalized was Hong Kong-listed Biostime International Holdings. ... Full Story | Top |
| Japan government joining efforts to contain Fukushima toxic water Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 08:34 PM PDT  TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese government is joining efforts to contain a buildup of radioactive water at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, as operator Tokyo Electric Power Co struggles to contain the problem, government officials said on Wednesday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the buildup of radioactive water at the plant was a very serious issue and that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would order the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which regulates Tepco and other power utilities, to significantly step up its role. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. accuses Bank of America of mortgage-backed securities fraud Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 04:04 PM PDT  By David Ingram and Peter Rudegeair WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Tuesday filed two civil lawsuits against Bank of America that accuse the bank of investor fraud in its sale of $850 million of residential mortgage-backed securities. The lawsuits are the latest legal headache for the second-largest U.S. bank, which has already agreed to pay in excess of $45 billion to settle disputes stemming from the 2008 financial crisis. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. military judge trims potential sentence in WikiLeaks case Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 06:53 PM PDT  By Tom Ramstack FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) - The military judge who last week convicted soldier Bradley Manning of committing the biggest breach of classified data in U.S. history through WikiLeaks on Tuesday trimmed the maximum prison sentence the private first class could face. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Chesapeake drops energy leases in fracking-shy New York Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 04:52 PM PDT  By Edward McAllister NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chesapeake Energy has given up a two-year legal fight to retain thousands of acres of natural gas drilling leases in New York state, landowner and legal sources told Reuters. Landowners in Broome and Tioga counties, who had leased acreage to Chesapeake over the past decade, had battled the pioneering oil driller in court to prevent it from extending the leases under their original terms, many of which were agreed to long before a boom in hydraulic fracturing swept the United States. ... Full Story | Top |
| NZ frets about reputation after dairy scare but auction reassuring Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 07:41 PM PDT  By Naomi Tajitsu WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand said on Wednesday its reputation as an exporter of safe dairy food remained at risk after a contamination scare, although an auction of Fonterra dairy products provided reassurance that global customers were continuing to buy its goods. Fonterra has come under fire from the New Zealand government, farmers and financial regulators for dragging its feet in saying it sold whey protein products that contained a bacteria which can cause botulism - a potentially fatal food poisoning. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian government to say mediation failed to end crisis Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 05:24 PM PDT  By Maggie Fick and Shaimaa Fayed CAIRO (Reuters) - The chances for a negotiated end to Egypt's political crisis looked to have hit the rocks on Tuesday with the army-installed government reportedly ready to declare that foreign mediation efforts had failed. State-run Al-Ahram newspaper, citing official sources, said the government would make an announcement to that effect soon. It would also declare that Muslim Brotherhood protests against the army's overthrow of President Mohamed Mursi were non-peaceful - a signal that the government intends to end them by force. ... Full Story | Top |
| Japan must support Tepco in containing Fukushima water problem: Suga Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 07:47 PM PDT  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government must support the operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in its efforts to contain buildups and leaks of radioactive water at the facility, the top government spokesman said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will order the government later in the day to strengthen its response on water containment, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, indicating the government will get directly involved in combating the worsening problem. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama touts mortgage finance plan, highlights private sector role Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 03:32 PM PDT  By Jeff Mason PHOENIX (Reuters) - President Barack Obama called on Tuesday for broad reform of the mortgage finance system to boost the U.S. housing market, help still-struggling homeowners, and prevent one of the triggers of the 2007-2009 financial crisis from happening again. Obama picked Arizona to make his remarks, choosing a state that came to symbolize the painful bursting of the housing bubble in 2007 and 2008 that led to a wave of foreclosures and wiped out trillions of dollars in household equity. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bombs target Iraqi shoppers, killing more than 50 Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 01:40 PM PDT  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A series of car bombs targeting busy markets and shopping streets in and around Baghdad killed at least 51 people and wounded more than 100 on Tuesday, Iraqi medical and police sources said, part of a surge in violence in recent months. Insurgent attacks have multiplied in Iraq since the start of the year, with more than 1,000 people killed in July, the highest monthly death toll since 2008, according to the United Nations. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tens of thousands rally to oust Tunisian government Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 04:43 PM PDT  By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Tunisians crowded the streets of downtown Tunis on Tuesday to demand the transitional government's ouster, in the largest opposition protest since the country's political crisis began two weeks ago. The secular opposition, angered by two assassinations in its ranks and emboldened by the army-backed toppling of Egypt's Islamist president, is trying to topple Tunisia's Islamist-led government and dissolve the Constituent Assembly. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. flies some diplomats out of Yemen, tells citizens to leave Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 01:29 PM PDT  By Mohammed Ghobari SANAA (Reuters) - The Air Force flew some U.S. diplomatic personnel out of Yemen on Tuesday and Washington told nationals to leave the country immediately after warnings of potential attacks that pushed the United States to shut missions across the Middle East. Yemen, one of the poorest Arab countries, is the base for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), one of the most active branches of the network founded by Osama bin Laden, and militants have launched attacks from there against the West. U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Signs of new climate 'normal' apparent in hot 2012: report Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 03:32 PM PDT  By Environment Correspondent Deborah Zabarenko WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Last year was one of the 10 hottest on record, with sea levels at record highs, Arctic ice at historic lows and extreme weather in various corners of the globe signaling a "new normal," scientists said Tuesday in the 2012 State of the Climate report. Meant to be a guide for policymakers, the report did not attribute the changes in climate to any one factor, but made note of continued increases in heat-trapping greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Senator McCain, in Cairo, says Egypt near 'all-out bloodshed' Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 04:51 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Unrest in Egypt could turn into "all-out bloodshed" in coming days if efforts to find a political solution fail, U.S. Senator John McCain warned on Tuesday during a visit to Cairo. "Oh my God, I didn't know it was this bad. These folks are just days or weeks away from all-out bloodshed," McCain said during an interview in Cairo with "CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian government to say mediation failed to end crisis Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 03:40 PM PDT  By Maggie Fick and Shaimaa Fayed CAIRO (Reuters) - The chances for a negotiated end to Egypt's political crisis looked to have hit the rocks on Tuesday with the army-installed government reportedly ready to declare that foreign mediation efforts had failed. State-run Al-Ahram newspaper, citing official sources, said the government would make an announcement to that effect soon. It would also declare that Muslim Brotherhood protests against the army's overthrow of President Mohamed Mursi were non-peaceful - a signal that the government intends to end them by force. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria rebels strike Assad's Alawite stronghold, seize airport Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 12:22 PM PDT  By Khaled Yacoub Oweis and Mariam Karouny AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian Islamist rebels have killed around 200 people in a three-day offensive in the mountain stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite sect and driven hundreds of villagers to seek refuge on the Mediterranean coast, activists said on Tuesday. Since launching the surprise assault at dawn on Sunday, the mainly Islamist rebel brigades led by two al Qaeda-linked groups have captured half a dozen villages on the northern edges of the Alawite mountain range, the activists say. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran's leader reaches out to U.S., vows to resolve nuclear row Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 12:30 PM PDT  By Marcus George and Yeganeh Torbati DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's incoming President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday offered an olive branch to the United States in talks on Tehran's disputed nuclear program, raising hopes of progress after years of stalemate. Rouhani, seen in the West as a relatively moderate leader, told his first news conference since taking the oath on Sunday that he was "seriously determined" to resolve the dispute and was ready to enter "serious and substantive" negotiations. ... Full Story | Top |
| India-Pakistan talks in jeopardy as Indian soldiers killed Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 07:21 AM PDT  By Fayaz Bukhari SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - India said a group of militants from Pakistan killed five of its soldiers in an ambush along the disputed border in Kashmir on Tuesday, an accusation that threatens to derail efforts to resume peace talks. Pakistan rejected the allegation, saying there had been no exchange of fire along the heavily militarised border in Kashmir, the cause of two of three wars between the nuclear rivals. It said it was committed to a decade-old ceasefire and wanted to restart talks. ... Full Story | Top |
| George W. Bush receives stent for blocked heart artery Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 12:49 PM PDT By Marice Richter DALLAS (Reuters) - Former President George W. Bush underwent successful surgery at a Dallas hospital on Tuesday to place a stent in a blocked heart artery. Doctors discovered a blockage on Monday during Bush's annual physical at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas and recommended a stent, a wire mesh coil used to prop open arteries, a Bush spokesman said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mugabe party vows to boost black ownership of Zimbabwe economy Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 10:10 AM PDT  By MacDonald Dzirutwe HARARE (Reuters) - President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party said on Tuesday it would increase black ownership of the economy in the next five years after its landslide election victory, adding to investors' concerns about the party's political dominance. But the central bank sought to assuage worries of an imminent re-introduction of the local dollar, abandoned in 2009 after being rendered virtually worthless by hyperinflation. The stock exchange's main Industrial Index shed 1. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fonterra under fire over milk scare; more product recalls Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 09:13 AM PDT  By Naomi Tajitsu WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Fonterra, the world's largest dairy exporter, came under fire from the New Zealand government, farmers and financial regulators for its handling of a food contamination scare that has triggered product recalls and spooked parents from China to Saudi Arabia. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Air Force flies diplomatic personnel out of Yemen Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 07:03 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Air Force flew some American diplomatic personnel out of Yemen on Tuesday, a U.S. official said, as the United States told its citizens to leave the country and ordered the evacuation of non-essential government staff because of a terror threat. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the Air Force flew the diplomatic personnel out of the Yemen capital of Sanaa on a C-17 aircraft to Ramstein Air Base in Germany. ... Full Story | Top |
| Four jailed for neo-Nazi killing spree that terrified Hungary's Roma Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 09:26 AM PDT  By Marton Dunai BUDAPEST (Reuters) - A Hungarian court jailed four neo-Nazis on Tuesday for killing Roma families in a spree of racist violence in 2008 and 2009 that shocked the country and led to accusations that police had failed to protect an historically persecuted minority. The gang killed six Roma and wounded several others in carefully planned attacks across the country over 13 months, creating a climate of fear for members of Hungary's largest ethnic minority. ... Full Story | Top |
| Eyeing China, Philippines gains U.S. ship in military upgrade Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 03:38 AM PDT  By Manuel Mogato SUBIC BAY, Philippines (Reuters) - The Philippines took possession of a former U.S. Coast Guard ship on Tuesday, part of its biggest military upgrade in decades, as a stronger economy allows it to raise spending to counter China's growing assertiveness in disputed waters. The military build-up, which is heavily focused on maritime capability, is likely to add to tension over the South China Sea that has threatened to draw in the United States as it refocuses its military attention on Asia. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran's President Rouhani says determined to resolve nuclear issue Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 07:06 AM PDT  DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday he was "seriously determined" to resolve a dispute with the West over Tehran's nuclear program and was ready to enter "serious and substantive" negotiations on the issue. But addressing his first news conference as president, he said the other side should realize a solution could be reached "solely through talks, not threats". He said he was confident the concerns of both sides could be removed in a short time. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sony rejects Loeb's proposal to spin off entertainment unit Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 11:48 AM PDT  By Mari Saito TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Sony Corp on Tuesday rejected a proposal from activist shareholder Daniel Loeb to partially spin off its entertainment business but the billionaire investor vowed to keep talking with the company and to explore other options. Sony said it could still squeeze synergies from its decades-old marriage of content and hardware and promised more disclosure in its entertainment operations. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK 'bad bank' repays $2.9 billion to taxpayers in first half Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 01:34 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's "bad bank" that is running down the loans of two bailed-out lenders said on Tuesday it repaid 1.9 billion pounds ($2.9 billion) to the government in the first six months of 2013. UK Asset Resolution (UKAR), a state-run 'zombie bank' that does not take on new business, said it has now returned 6.6 billion pounds to the government. It owed 48.7 billion pounds when it was created in October 2010. ... Full Story | Top |
| Indictment of Pakistan's Musharraf adjourned over security fear Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 12:13 AM PDT  By Syed Raza Hassan RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (Reuters) - A court in Pakistan delayed the indictment of former leader Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday because it was too dangerous for him to attend the proceedings due to threats to his life. Musharraf, once Pakistan's most powerful man, had been expected to be charged over his failure to prevent the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007. The closely watched case has shattered an unwritten rule in Pakistan that the top military brass are untouchable. ... Full Story | Top |
| Yemen drone strike kills four suspected al Qaeda militants: tribal leaders Monday, Aug 05, 2013 11:56 PM PDT SANAA (Reuters) - At least four suspected al Qaeda members were killed in a drone strike in central Yemen, local tribal leaders said on Tuesday, following a U.S. warning of a possible major militant attack in the region. The warning issued by Washington on Friday has prompted the closure of several Western embassies in Yemen and several U.S. missions across the Middle East and Africa. The New York Times reported on Monday that the closure of the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Amazon's Bezos to buy the Washington Post for $250 million Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 10:19 AM PDT  By Jennifer Saba (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos will buy the Washington Post newspaper for $250 million in a surprise deal that ends the Graham family's 80 years of ownership and hands one of the country's most influential publications to the businessman whose Internet company has transformed retailing. Bezos, hailed by many as technology visionary, called his acquisition a personal endeavor and reassured employees and readers of the 135-year-old newspaper he will preserve its journalistic tradition, while driving innovation. ... Full Story | Top |
| Opposition vows mass protest over Cambodian election deadlock Monday, Aug 05, 2013 10:18 PM PDT  By Prak Chan Thul PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - The result remains hotly disputed, but Cambodia's recent general election has put long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen on a collision course with a resurgent opposition and revealed widespread unhappiness with his iron-fisted rule. While analysts aren't writing off the chances of the politically ruthless Hun Sen ruling for another five years, they said the result signals a restive and youthful Cambodian population eager for change. ... Full Story | Top |
| Australia PM Rudd criticizes Rupert Murdoch role in election race Monday, Aug 05, 2013 09:58 PM PDT  CANBERRA (Reuters) - Global media mogul Rupert Murdoch has waded into Australia's election race, calling a key ruling party platform unaffordable and drawing accusations from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd that he was trying to oust his struggling government. Murdoch, whose News Corp controls about 70 percent of Australia's newspaper market, questioned in a Twitter message how an ambitious $34 billion super broadband being built by Rudd's Labor was affordable in a slowing economy. "Oz politics! We all like ideal of NBN, especially perfect for Foxtel. ... Full Story | Top |
| Third Point says to keep talking with Sony, explore options Monday, Aug 05, 2013 10:52 PM PDT  TOKYO (Reuters) - New York-based hedge fund Third Point, led by billionaire Daniel Loeb, said on Tuesday it would continue talking with Sony Corp and explore further options after the electronics maker's board rejected a proposal to partially list its entertainment arm. "Third Point looks forward to an ongoing dialogue with management and intends to explore further options to create value for Sony shareholders," the fund said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Local official, two others shot dead in Pennsylvania land dispute Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 09:06 AM PDT By Joe McDonald SAYLORSBURG, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - A zoning official and two local residents were shot dead when a man losing his condemned home in rural Pennsylvania shot his way into a town hall meeting, authorities said on Tuesday. Rockne Newell, 59, targeted those he blamed for losing his property, which was condemned in a dispute over sewage, said Monroe County District Attorney E. David Christine, Jr. ... Full Story | Top |
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