| | |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Hilton selects banks to lead initial public offering: sources Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 07:03 PM PDT  By Greg Roumeliotis and Ilaina Jonas NEW YORK (Reuters) - Blackstone Group LP has selected banks to lead an initial public offering of Hilton Worldwide Inc as it prepares to bring one of the largest leveraged buyouts back to the stock market, three people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. The IPO of the hotel operator is expected to come in the first half of 2014, two of the people said. Hilton has selected Deutsche Bank AG, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Bank of America Corp and Morgan Stanley to lead the deal, the three sources told Reuters. ... 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 |
| Exclusive: TPG explores $3 billion sale of specialty drugmaker Aptalis Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 04:38 PM PDT By Jessica Toonkel and Soyoung Kim NEW YORK (Reuters) - TPG Capital LP has been exploring a sale of Aptalis Pharma, a specialty drugmaker it has owned since 2008 and values at more than $3 billion, four people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. The private equity firm has been working with JPMorgan Chase & Co and Evercore Partners Inc to find a buyer for the Montreal-based drugmaker in a sale process that has been under way for several months, said the sources, who asked not to be named because the matter is confidential. ... 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Drone strike kills six suspected militants in Yemen Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 12:00 PM PDT  ADEN (Reuters) - A U.S. drone killed at least six suspected al Qaeda militants in southern Yemen on Wednesday, officials said, a day after U.S. and British embassies evacuated some staff because of growing fears of attacks. It was the fifth strike in less than two weeks and follows warnings of potential attacks by militants that pushed Washington to shut missions across the Middle East, and the United States and Britain to evacuate staff from Yemen. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt at 'dangerous stalemate' in political crisis Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 02:35 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 |
| Exclusive: IRS manual detailed DEA's use of hidden intel evidence Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 03:23 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 |
| JPMorgan faces criminal and civil probes over mortgages Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 02:58 PM PDT (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co, the biggest U.S. bank by assets, said on Wednesday it is being investigated by criminal and civil divisions of the U.S. Department of Justice over offerings of mortgage-backed securities. The civil division gave the company a notice in May that it had preliminarily concluded that the firm violated federal securities laws in offerings of subprime and Alt-A residential mortgage securities during 2005 to 2007, JPMorgan said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fire guts Kenya's main airport, chokes regional gateway Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 10:41 AM PDT  By Drazen Jorgic NAIROBI (Reuters) - A fire engulfed Kenya's main airport on Wednesday, forcing the suspension of international passenger flights and choking a vital travel gateway to east Africa. The country's anti-terror police boss said he did not believe that there was a terror link to the fire even though it coincided with the 15th anniversary of a twin attack by Islamist militants on the United States embassy in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital of neighboring Tanzania. ... 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 |
| Blast wounds four Israeli soldiers at Lebanese border Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 07:05 AM PDT  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An explosion at the border with Lebanon wounded four Israeli soldiers on Wednesday, and the Lebanese Army said the troops were inside Lebanese territory when the blast occurred. The incident, in an area known for having land mines, did not appear to herald any surge in tension along a frontier that has been largely quiet since Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas fought a war in 2006. An Israeli military spokesman said the soldiers were involved in "an activity near the border". He did not provide details about their exact location or what caused the blast. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Saudi offers Russia deal to scale back Assad support - sources Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 06:35 AM PDT  By Khaled Yacoub Oweis and Amena Bakr AMMAN/DOHA (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has offered Russia economic incentives including a major arms deal and a pledge not to challenge Russian gas sales if Moscow scales back support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Middle East sources and Western diplomats said on Wednesday. The proposed deal between two of the leading power brokers in Syria's devastating civil war was set out by Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week, they said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Merkel plans to stand down in 2016 if re-elected: magazine Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 06:06 AM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Angela Merkel plans to step down as chancellor in 2016, a year before the end of a third term, if she is re-elected in a September 22 election, according to an unsourced article in Stern magazine on Wednesday. In a column titled "Merkel's last three years", a senior editor of the magazine wrote that she aims to give up politics some 25 years after she became a minister in former conservative Chancellor Helmut Kohl's cabinet. Merkel is now 59. "2016 should be the date she stands down, the year before the federal election in 2017," wrote Hans-Ulrich Joerges. ... Full Story | Top |
| Head of Italian ruling party calls on Berlusconi to resign Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 04:48 AM PDT  By Catherine Hornby ROME (Reuters) - The head of the party that leads Italy's government called on Wednesday for Silvio Berlusconi to resign from politics after he lost his appeal against a tax fraud conviction, worsening tensions in the fragile left-right coalition. Center-left Prime Minister Enrico Letta has reacted with restraint, desperate to avoid a government crisis, but the secretary general of his Democratic Party (PD) said all citizens are equal before the law and so Berlusconi should step down. ... Full Story | Top |
| China fines milk powder makers $110 million for price fixing Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 03:24 AM PDT  By Kazunori Takada and Michael Martina SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - China fined six companies, including Mead Johnson Nutrition Co, Danone and New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra, a total of $110 million following an investigation into price fixing and anti-competitive practices by foreign baby formula makers. The other three penalised were Abbott Laboratories, Dutch dairy cooperative FrieslandCampina and Hong Kong-listed Biostime International Holdings, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| China detains prominent Bo Xilai supporter ahead of trial Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 03:47 AM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese police have detained a prominent leftist supporter of disgraced high-flying politician Bo Xilai who had urged people to protest against Bo's upcoming trial, underlining government nervousness about the case. Song Yangbiao, a reporter for the magazine the Time Weekly, was detained on Sunday on charges of "picking quarrels and causing trouble", according to friends and supporters, apparently after using his Sina Weibo microblog to denounce the trial and call for an uprising to oppose it. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea blinks minutes after South threatens closure of factory park Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 03:13 AM PDT  By Jack Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - Impoverished North Korea said on Wednesday it was reopening the troubled Kaesong industrial zone jointly run with the wealthy South just minutes after Seoul signalled its willingness to let it close for good. The North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, which handles Pyongyang's ties with Seoul, proposed talks aimed at normalising the project and said the safety of South Koreans visiting the factory park would be guaranteed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian army kills 62 rebels east of Damascus Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 02:32 AM PDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - Sixty-two rebel fighters were killed in a Syrian army ambush at dawn on Wednesday near the town of Adra, east of Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group opposed to President Bashar al-Assad, said. The state news agency SANA did not give a death toll for the ambush but said the rebels were from the al Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front. It said all the rebels were killed and machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades confiscated. ... Full Story | Top |
| Japan says Fukushima leak worse than thought, government joins clean-up Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 05:54 AM PDT  By Mari Saito and Antoni Slodkowski TOKYO (Reuters) - Highly radioactive water from Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is pouring out at a rate of 300 tonnes a day, officials said on Wednesday, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered the government to step in and help in the clean-up. The revelation amounted to an acknowledgement that plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) has yet to come to grips with the scale of the catastrophe, 2 1/2 years after the plant was hit by a huge earthquake and tsunami. Tepco only recently admitted water had leaked at all. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tainted dairy stocks removed from market: Fonterra CEO Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 06:21 AM PDT  By Naomi Tajitsu WELLINGTON (Reuters) - The chief executive of New Zealand's Fonterra said his future was up to the board of the world's biggest dairy exporter after human error resulted in some of its products being contaminated and shipped around the world. Theo Spierings, a Dutchman and dairy industry veteran, sought on Wednesday to reassure customers and worried parents who feed their infants with formula milk made from Fonterra's whey protein concentrate, saying all tainted stocks had been taken out of the market and there was now little or no risk to consumers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pakistani soldiers wounded in new Kashmir confrontation with India Wednesday, Aug 07, 2013 12:15 AM PDT By Katharine Houreld ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Two Pakistani soldiers were wounded in an exchange of fire with Indian troops along the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir in the latest flare-up of tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, officials on both sides said Wednesday. The shooting came just hours after India accused Pakistani forces of killing five Indian soldiers along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir in a incident that threatened to derail repeatedly stalled peace talks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Obama's economic speeches pound Republicans Tuesday, Aug 06, 2013 10:03 PM PDT  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The economic policy speeches President Barack Obama has been delivering in recent weeks are turning out to be blunt attacks on Republicans, with an eye toward coming fiscal battles and the 2014 congressional elections. Obama's basic message across the country, most recently sounded on Tuesday in Arizona, is that while he has made great strides in improving the economy, further progress is being thwarted by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives. ... Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment