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| U.S. issues global travel alert, cites al Qaeda threat Friday, Aug 02, 2013 03:18 PM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed and Tabassum Zakaria WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States issued a worldwide travel alert on Friday warning Americans that al Qaeda may be planning attacks in August, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. The State Department travel alert was based on the same intelligence that prompted it to close 21 U.S. embassies and consulates on Sunday, August 4, chiefly those in the Muslim world, a U.S. official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "The Department of State alerts U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. seeks tighter control over Apple in e-book case Friday, Aug 02, 2013 05:56 PM PDT  By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Inc is headed for a showdown with the U.S. government and dozens of states, which on Friday urged that tough new restrictions be imposed on the company for illegally conspiring to raise e-book prices. The changes proposed by the U.S. Department of Justice and 33 U.S. states and territories are designed to stop Apple from committing further antitrust violations after U.S. District Judge Denise Cote said on July 10 Apple had a "central role" in a conspiracy with five major publishers to raise e-book prices. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. declares new push to defuse Egyptian crisis Friday, Aug 02, 2013 04:04 PM PDT By Tom Perry and Michael Georgy CAIRO (Reuters) - The United States said on Friday it would work with other nations to resolve Egypt's crisis peacefully, injecting new energy into a push to end a bloody standoff since the overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi. A day after saying the army had restored democracy by removing Mursi, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Egyptian authorities to give demonstrators the space to protest in peace - a warning against dispersing pro-Mursi sit-ins. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. sets rules to prevent type of rail crash that hit Quebec town Friday, Aug 02, 2013 06:19 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. rail safety regulator issued rules on Friday meant to prevent the kind of runaway fuel-train accident that devastated a Canadian town last month. Under the rules, rail cars carrying hazardous materials such as combustibles may not be left unattended on main tracks or adjacent tracks unless specifically authorized. Railroads must boost their safety procedures and record-keeping for trains that carry hazardous material and are braked, according to the rules from the Federal Railroad Administration. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lawmakers want perjury probe for Corzine Friday, Aug 02, 2013 04:18 PM PDT  By Douwe Miedema WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of Republican lawmakers called on Friday for a criminal investigation of Jon Corzine, the head of failed futures broker MF Global, saying he may have committed perjury when speaking before Congress in 2011. Corzine, a Democrat who previously served as New Jersey's governor and senator, headed MF Global when it collapsed in October 2011 in one of the 10 biggest U.S. bankruptcies. Customers were left reeling when it was discovered that about $1.6 billion was missing from their accounts. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hiring slows in July but jobless rate falls to four-year low Friday, Aug 02, 2013 03:19 PM PDT  By Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Employers slowed their pace of hiring in July but the jobless rate fell anyway, a pair of mixed signals that could make the Federal Reserve more cautious about drawing down its huge economic stimulus program. The number of jobs outside the farming sector increased by 162,000 last month, the smallest gain in four months and below analysts' expectations, Labor Department data showed on Friday. The lackluster reading reinforced the view that the job market is only inching toward recovery from the 2007-09 recession and weighed on financial markets. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: In Obamacare rate debate, price gets political Friday, Aug 02, 2013 02:39 PM PDT  By Caroline Humer NEW YORK (Reuters) - With the October 1 date for enrollment in the health insurance exchanges being created by Obamacare less than two months away, a war of numbers has been escalating. Health insurance will cost way less. Or it will cost way more. It depends who you ask. Residents of states that have embraced President Barack Obama's healthcare reform, including New York, California and Oregon, will save on health insurance, officials there say. ... Full Story | Top |
| Berlusconi lays out price of preserving Italian government Friday, Aug 02, 2013 01:49 PM PDT  By Roberto Landucci ROME (Reuters) - Italy's center right must push through justice reform or withdraw from the coalition government, Silvio Berlusconi told his People of Freedom (PDL) party on Friday after his conviction for tax fraud was upheld by the supreme court. Just three months after center-left Prime Minister Enrico Letta took office at the head of an uneasy alliance with Berlusconi's PDL, the euro zone's third largest economy faces deep uncertainty that may further hinder efforts at reform. ... Full Story | Top |
| History shows Snowden may face tough exile in Russia Friday, Aug 02, 2013 01:26 PM PDT  By Alissa de Carbonnel MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. fugitive Edward Snowden seems assured of a warm welcome in Russia and may even achieve celebrity status in his new home, but history suggests he will no longer be master of his fate and a Moscow exile will bring some difficult challenges. The former U.S. spy agency contractor finally left Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on Thursday after spending nearly six weeks confined to its transit zone while a diplomatic battle over his future raged between Russia and the United States. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. sees hope in Iranian president-elect, but still cautious Friday, Aug 02, 2013 12:20 PM PDT  By Warren Strobel and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is signaling its hopes for an easing of nuclear tensions after Iranian President-elect Hassan Rouhani takes office, but holding off on substantive moves until the moderate cleric shows a willingness to negotiate seriously. Rouhani, a former nuclear negotiator and veteran of Iran's 1979 revolution who will be inaugurated on Sunday, has pledged domestic reforms and more international engagement, in an apparent break from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's policies. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. sets rules to prevent type of rail crash that hit Quebec town Friday, Aug 02, 2013 04:53 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. rail safety regulator issued rules on Friday meant to prevent the kind of runaway fuel-train accident that devastated a Canadian town last month. Under the rules, rail cars carrying hazardous materials like combustibles may not be left unattended on main tracks or adjacent tracks unless specifically authorized. Railroads must boost their safety procedures and record-keeping for trains that carry hazardous material and are braked, according to the rules from the Federal Railroad Administration. ... Full Story | Top |
| Apple battling U.S., states over proposed e-book limits Friday, Aug 02, 2013 04:00 PM PDT  By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Inc is headed for a showdown with the U.S. government and dozens of states, which on Friday urged that tough new restrictions be imposed on the company for illegally conspiring to raise e-book prices. The changes proposed by the U.S. Department of Justice and 33 U.S. states and territories are designed to stop Apple from committing further antitrust violations after U.S. District Judge Denise Cote on July 10 said Apple had a "central role" in a conspiracy with five major publishers to raise e-book prices. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tunisian forces launch air strikes on Islamist militants Friday, Aug 02, 2013 12:34 PM PDT  By Tarek Amara and Erika Solomon TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian forces launched air and ground strikes on Islamist militants near the Algerian border on Friday after fierce overnight clashes in the area, which coincided with increased instability and political turmoil in the North African country. Aircraft bombed caves in the Mount Chaambi area, where the military has been trying to track down Islamist militants since December, witnesses said on Friday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Michael Dell closes in on prize with sweeter $25 billion deal Friday, Aug 02, 2013 10:33 AM PDT  By Greg Roumeliotis and Eileen O'Grady NEW YORK/ROUND ROCK, Texas (Reuters) - Dell Inc and Chief Executive Michael Dell clinched a new $25 billion deal on Friday, boosting the bid and offering a special dividend in hopes of ending months of wrangling with opponents of the founder's proposed buyout of the world's No. 3 PC maker. The new agreement includes a special dividend of 13 cents per share on top of a 10-cent increase in the sale price to $13.75 per share. ... Full Story | Top |
| Detroit tells judge it wants to file restructuring plan by year-end Friday, Aug 02, 2013 11:23 AM PDT  By Nick Carey and Joseph Lichterman DETROIT (Reuters) - Detroit aims to file a restructuring plan by the end of 2013, earlier than a date previously proposed by a federal bankruptcy judge, but the judge's appointment of a creditors' committee made up of retired workers - over objections from city unions and pension funds at a Friday hearing - was an early sign of controversy in the historic case. Detroit's target filing date would be much sooner than the March 1, 2014 date proposed earlier this week by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes, who is overseeing the case. ... Full Story | Top |
| Zimbabwe's MDC considers protests against Mugabe landslide Friday, Aug 02, 2013 12:41 PM PDT  By Ed Cropley HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change said on Friday it could take to the streets to challenge President Robert Mugabe's victory in elections it rejects as a farce and which face skepticism from the West. No results of the presidential vote on July 31 have been announced. But Mugabe's ZANU-PF has already claimed a resounding win and interim tallies of the parliamentary count suggest a massive victory for the 89-year-old, Africa's oldest president, who has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980. ... Full Story | Top |
| Berlusconi says Italy needs justice reform or elections Friday, Aug 02, 2013 11:58 AM PDT  ROME (Reuters) - Italy's center right must push for reform of the justice system or seek new elections, former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi told lawmakers from his People of Freedom Party, according to a source at the meeting on Friday. "If there is no reform of the justice system, we are ready for new elections," he told the meeting, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. On Thursday a court upheld a conviction for tax fraud against Berlusconi, threatening both his position as center-right leader and the stability of Italy's fragile coalition government. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. says visas from gay spouses will get equal treatment Friday, Aug 02, 2013 11:33 AM PDT  By Lesley Wroughton and Susan Heavey LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials paved the way on Friday for same-sex spouses to visit or live in the United States, announcing the State Department will give equal treatment to visa applications of gays and lesbians who want to travel with their partner. Secretary of State John Kerry, announcing the measure at the U.S. embassy in London, said the shift will allow the department to start processing requests from married gay couples the same way it handles those from heterosexual spouses. ... Full Story | Top |
| Manning's leaks endangered informants: trial witness Friday, Aug 02, 2013 03:02 PM PDT  By Tom Hals FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) - A State Department official contended in court on Friday that convicted soldier Bradley Manning's leaks of classified diplomatic cables led to foreign informants being moved over fears for their safety. The official, Michael Kozak, was called by U.S. military prosecutors to testify in the sentencing phase of Manning's court-martial over the purported damage done by anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks' publication in 2010 of hundreds of thousands of documents and video it received from the Iraq-based soldier. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU says taking precautions after U.S. says will close embassies Friday, Aug 02, 2013 09:15 AM PDT  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is taking "all necessary precautions" after the United States said it would close some embassies on Sunday because of security concerns, a spokesman said. "We are aware of the move by the U.S. and we are in contact with our U.S. counterparts," European Commission spokesman Alexandre Polack said. "Delegations of the EU in the affected region are liaising with U.S. embassies." The EU had no immediate comment on an announcement by the U.S. government that it was issuing a worldwide travel alert, warning U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Berlusconi conviction leaves Italian government hanging Friday, Aug 02, 2013 05:52 AM PDT  By Roberto Landucci ROME (Reuters) - Italy's fragile coalition government, already struggling to contain deep divisions over tax and economic policy, woke up to a whole set of new problems on Friday after Silvio Berlusconi's conviction for tax fraud was upheld by the supreme court. Just three months after center-left Prime Minister Enrico Letta took office at the head of an uneasy alliance with Berlusconi's People of Freedom party (PDL), Italy, the euro zone's third largest economy, is again mired in uncertainty. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. rights chief calls for investigation into Syria massacre Friday, Aug 02, 2013 06:58 AM PDT  GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said on Friday she wanted an independent investigation into an apparent massacre carried out by Syrian opposition forces in the town of Khan al-Assal. "Based on the analysis by my team to date, we believe armed opposition groups in one incident - documented by a video - executed at least 30 individuals, the majority of whom appeared to be soldiers," she said in a statement issued by her office. Syrian state media have accused insurgents of killing 123 people, mainly civilians, during a rebel offensive in Aleppo province late last month. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. issues global travel alert, cites potential al Qaeda threat Friday, Aug 02, 2013 08:32 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States issued a worldwide travel alert on Friday, warning U.S. citizens about the "continued potential for terrorist attacks, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa." In a statement, the State Department said current information suggests al Qaeda and its affiliates continue to plan terrorist attacks in the Middle East and beyond, and may concentrate those efforts in August. A U.S. official said the alert was based on the same intelligence information that prompted U.S. embassy closures for this Sunday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran's Rouhani misquoted in remarks on Israel: state TV Friday, Aug 02, 2013 06:30 AM PDT  DUBAI (Reuters) - Two days before his inauguration as Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani said on Friday that Israeli occupation of Palestinian land had inflicted a "wound" on the Muslim world, according to a segment of his remarks broadcast on Iran's state-run Press TV. An earlier report by Iran's student news agency ISNA had quoted Rouhani as saying: "The Zionist regime is a wound that has sat on the body of the Muslim world for years and needs to be removed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Threat to U.S. embassies appears al Qaeda-linked: lawmaker Friday, Aug 02, 2013 05:39 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee said al Qaeda appears to be behind a threat that has prompted several U.S. embassies to close on Sunday. "It's my understanding that it is al Qaeda linked ... and the threat emanates in the Middle East and in Central Asia," Representative Ed Royce said Friday on CNN's "New Day" program. Royce, a Republican, said he and several other lawmakers met two days ago with Vice President Joe Biden on the threat, "and as you know we're going to take whatever steps necessary to protect our personnel overseas. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU signs off on China solar deal, no state votes against Friday, Aug 02, 2013 04:52 AM PDT  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union officials endorsed a deal on Friday to settle a dispute with China over solar panels, the biggest trade row to date between the two powers, after winning almost unanimous backing from member states. The agreement will be officially published on Saturday and takes effect on August 6. Chinese firms who agree to its terms will avoid duties that the 28-nation EU had planned to impose. In a statement, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, said it had received almost unanimous support but declined to give details on any possible abstentions. ... Full Story | Top |
| Defiant Hun Sen says to form government despite Cambodia poll row Friday, Aug 02, 2013 03:03 AM PDT  By Prak Chan Thul PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia's long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Friday he would press ahead with forming a new government even if the main opposition party tried to block the process, after both sides claimed victory in last Sunday's general election. Hun Sen's government says he was re-elected, with his Cambodian People's Party (CPP) winning 68 seats and the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) getting 55. For its part, the CNRP says it won 63 seats and the CPP got 60. At the same time it has alleged electoral fraud, saying up to 1. ... Full Story | Top |
| Japan says GDP growth could slow to 1 percent after sales tax hike Friday, Aug 02, 2013 01:31 AM PDT  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's economic growth will slow to 1.0 percent in fiscal 2014/15, less than half the pace expected this year, as a planned sales tax hike weighs temporarily on consumption, government forecasts showed. In fiscal 2013/14, which began in April, Japan's economy is forecast to expand 2.8 percent as an improving labor market bolsters consumer spending and as policies to end 15 years of deflation start to take hold, the cabinet office said. That is an upgrade from the government's previous forecast of 2.5 percent growth. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russia gives Snowden asylum, Obama-Putin summit in doubt Friday, Aug 02, 2013 07:06 AM PDT  By Timothy Heritage and Steve Holland MOSCOW/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia rejected U.S. pleas and granted American fugitive Edward Snowden a year's asylum on Thursday, letting the former spy agency contractor slip out of a Moscow airport after more than five weeks in limbo while angering the United States and putting in doubt a planned summit between the two nations' presidents. The United States wanted Russia to send Snowden home to face criminal charges including espionage for disclosing in June secret American internet and telephone surveillance programs. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dell committee and buyout group close to a deal: source Friday, Aug 02, 2013 04:34 AM PDT  (Reuters) - Dell Inc's special committee and the buyout group led by company founder and Chief Executive Michael Dell are nearing a deal that would include an offer price of $13.75 per share and a special dividend of 13 cents, a source familiar with the matter said. The deal includes changing the company's buyout voting standard to exclude from the tally shares that do not cast votes, the source said. Silver Lake declined to comment and a Dell representative could not immediately be reached. (Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York and Sruthi Ramakrishnan in Bangalore, Editing by Ted Kerr) Full Story | Top |
| Dell committee and buyout group close to a deal: WSJ Friday, Aug 02, 2013 03:50 AM PDT  (Reuters) - Dell Inc's special committee and the buyout group led by the company's founder and chief executive, Michael Dell, are close to a deal, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources. Dell shareholders are scheduled to convene for a third time on Friday to vote on Michael Dell's $24.4 billion buyout proposal, helping decide the fate of the No. 3 PC maker after months of dueling with Carl Icahn and other unhappy investors. (Reporting by Sruthi Ramakrishnan in Bangalore,) Full Story | Top |
| Iran as determined as ever to threaten Israel: Netanyahu Friday, Aug 02, 2013 04:18 AM PDT  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday Iranian president-elect Hassan Rouhani had shown his true face after he was quoted as saying Israel was a "wound" that must be removed. Netanyahu said Rouhani, due to take office on Sunday, was no less anti-Israel than his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and said the world must not allow Iran to pursue its nuclear ambitions and threaten Israel. "The true face of Rouhani has been revealed sooner than expected ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight: Carrefour in the trenches of the hypermarket war Friday, Aug 02, 2013 04:25 AM PDT  By Dominique Vidalon PARIS (Reuters) - Fifty years ago, on June 15, 1963, two French families opened Europe's first hypermarket in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois near Paris. Stocking 5,000 products over 2,500 square meters, it was three times the size of most grocery stores. Today, owned by retail giant Carrefour, it has tripled in size and offers 19,000 different products. ... Full Story | Top |
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