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| Germany, Brazil to propose anti-spying resolution at U.N. Friday, Oct 25, 2013 07:57 PM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Germany and Brazil are drafting a U.N. General Assembly resolution that would demand an end to excessive spying and invasion of privacy after a former U.S. intelligence contractor revealed massive international surveillance programs, U.N. diplomats said on Friday. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have both condemned the widespread snooping by the U.S. National Security Agency. Charges that the NSA accessed tens of thousands of French phone records and monitored Merkel's mobile phone have caused outrage in Europe. ... Full Story | Top |
| JPMorgan in $5.1 billion deal with housing agency Friday, Oct 25, 2013 06:16 PM PDT  By Aruna Viswanatha and David Henry (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co has agreed to pay $5.1 billion to settle claims that it and firms it bought misled Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac about the quality of mortgage securities and home loans it sold to them during the housing boom. The bank and the agencies' regulator said Friday evening that the settlement was expected to be part of a tentative $13 billion deal that JPMorgan is negotiating with federal and state agencies over its mortgage bond liabilities. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama says shutdown shows contrast of parties' visions Friday, Oct 25, 2013 06:14 PM PDT  By Mark Felsenthal NEW YORK (Reuters) - With an eye to 2014 elections, President Barack Obama held up the government shutdown this month as an emblem of fundamental differences between Democrats and Republicans on Friday in an appeal to wealthy donors. "The shutdown was about more than just healthcare, it was about, sort of, a contrast in visions about what our obligations are to our fellow citizens," the president said at a fundraiser at the home of Karen Mehiel on New York's posh Upper East Side. ... Full Story | Top |
| Merkel to seek 'no spy deal' within EU as well as with U.S. Friday, Oct 25, 2013 02:44 PM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants the European Union's 28 member states to reach a "no spy deal" similar to an agreement France and Germany seek with the United State following allegations Washington tapped her mobile phone. A German government spokesman late on Friday confirmed Merkel had made such a proposal to European leaders gathered at a summit in Brussels. Sources who attended the meeting said they appeared to be open to the suggestion. Charges that the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. aid chief demands Security Council action on Syria aid access Friday, Oct 25, 2013 04:21 PM PDT  By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. aid chief Valerie Amos demanded stronger action by the U.N. Security Council on Friday to get desperately needed aid into Syria, where 2.5 million people in need have not received help for almost a year. Violence and excessive red tape have slowed aid delivery to a trickle in Syria. More than 100,000 people have been killed in the 2 1/2-year civil war and some 2.1 million have fled. After months of talks, the 15-member Security Council approved a non-binding statement October 2 urging increased humanitarian access. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Obama's aversion to Mideast conflicts fuels backlash from allies Friday, Oct 25, 2013 06:17 PM PDT  By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - From Saudi Arabia to Israel, traditional U.S. allies in the Middle East are beginning to ask: Is America turning its back on us? President Barack Obama's diplomatic overtures to old foe Iran and his last-minute refusal to attack Syria have officials in Israel, the Gulf countries and Turkey wondering if Washington is deliberately neglecting them to avoid being dragged into a Middle East facing deeper sectarian strife and concerns that Tehran may be seeking a nuclear bomb. Media reports that the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House says 'Obamacare' website will be fixed by end of November Friday, Oct 25, 2013 02:40 PM PDT  By Caroline Humer and Sharon Begley (Reuters) - The website for Americans to buy insurance under President Barack Obama's healthcare law should be working smoothly for most users by the end of November, a White House official assigned to fix Healthcare.gov said on Friday. Jeffrey Zients also told reporters in a conference call that Quality Software Services Inc, or QSSI, will now serve as a general contractor to oversee repairs to the glitch-ridden website. The administration has not had a technology company overseeing the entire project. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senator Paul plans 'hold' on Yellen Fed nomination Friday, Oct 25, 2013 01:49 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Senator Rand Paul threatened on Friday to put a 'hold' on the nomination of Janet Yellen to be chair of the Federal Reserve unless he gets a vote on a bill he has sponsored to put the central bank under more scrutiny. "As part of Senate consideration of the Janet Yellen nomination to be chair of the Federal Reserve, I will request a vote on my bipartisan Federal Reserve Transparency Act," Paul said in a statement. "The American people deserve transparency from the Federal Reserve and the federal government as a whole. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bombs targeting Shi'ites kill 16 across Iraq Friday, Oct 25, 2013 01:53 PM PDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A series of bombs killed at least 16 people across Iraq on Friday as Shi'ite Muslims celebrated a holy festival, police and medical sources said. Nine bombs were detonated by remote control. The deadliest were two roadside devices that exploded in quick succession in a market in the Shi'ite town of Yousufiya, 20 km (12 miles) south of Baghdad, killing at least seven people. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. charges man with seeking to buy missiles for Iran Friday, Oct 25, 2013 01:23 PM PDT By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors brought criminal charges on Friday against a man they said had tried to acquire surface-to-air missiles that he planned to smuggle into Iran in a threat to U.S. national security. Reza Olangian, a dual citizen of the United States and Iran, was charged with four counts, including trying to acquire and transfer anti-aircraft missiles, violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and two conspiracy counts. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tunisia's ruling Islamist party, opposition start crisis talks Friday, Oct 25, 2013 01:00 PM PDT  By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's ruling Islamist party and the opposition began talks on Friday to form a caretaker government and prepare for elections under an agreement to end months of unrest in the country that inspired the "Arab Spring" revolts. The North African nation has been in turmoil since July when the assassination of an opposition leader ignited anti-government protests that threatened to derail a democratic transition once seen as a model for the region. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Obama's aversion to Mideast conflicts fuels backlash from allies Friday, Oct 25, 2013 03:22 PM PDT  By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - From Saudi Arabia to Israel, traditional U.S. allies in the Middle East are beginning to ask: Is America turning its back on us? President Barack Obama's diplomatic overtures to old foe Iran and his last-minute refusal to attack Syria have officials in Israel, the Gulf countries and Turkey wondering if Washington is deliberately neglecting them to avoid being dragged into a Middle East facing deeper sectarian strife and concerns that Tehran may be seeking a nuclear bomb. Media reports that the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| JPMorgan in $5.1 billion deal with housing agency Friday, Oct 25, 2013 04:24 PM PDT  By Aruna Viswanatha and David Henry (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co has agreed to pay $5.1 billion to settle claims that it and firms it bought misled Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac about the quality of mortgage securities and home loans it sold to them during the housing boom. The bank and the agencies' regulator said Friday evening that the settlement was expected to be part of a tentative $13 billion deal that JPMorgan is negotiating with federal and state agencies over its mortgage bond liabilities. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. durable goods orders, sentiment suggest politics hurting economy Friday, Oct 25, 2013 07:54 AM PDT  By Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Orders for a wide range of U.S.-made capital goods plummeted in September and consumer sentiment weakened sharply in October, signs that a budget battle in Washington has held back the economy. New orders of non-military capital goods other than aircraft, an indicator of business spending plans, fell 1.1 percent last month, the Commerce Department said on Friday. That could be a sign businesses were shutting their wallets as the fiscal debate was heating up in Washington. ... Full Story | Top |
| Turkey, Iraq eye closer cooperation on Syria as relations thaw Friday, Oct 25, 2013 09:06 AM PDT  By Humeyra Pamuk and Tulay Karadeniz ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey and Iraq, both concerned by the rise of al Qaeda in Syria, said on Friday their strained relations were improving and they would cooperate more closely to limit the spillover from Syria's civil war. The two countries' dealings have been tense in recent years, not least because of Turkey's strengthening ties with northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, locked in a dispute with the federal government over oil and land rights. ... Full Story | Top |
| Berlusconi resurrects old party but center-right deeply divided Friday, Oct 25, 2013 12:21 PM PDT  By Massimiliano Di Giorgio ROME (Reuters) - Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Friday resurrected the party with which he burst into politics 20 years ago, but the move deeply divided Italy's political center-right. A leadership meeting of People of Freedom (PDL), as the center-right party has been called since 2007, voted to change its name back to Forza Italia (Go Italy!). Berlusconi said the revived party would support the government of Prime Minister Enrico Letta, as the PDL has done. But the move caused a rift among his followers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Earthquake of magnitude 7.6 strikes off Japan Friday, Oct 25, 2013 10:27 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - A 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck 231 miles east of the Japanese island of Honshu on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. A U.S. Pacific tsunami warning center said there was no destructive widespread tsunami threat following the quake. (Writing by Tom Pfeiffer) Full Story | Top |
| Kenyan deputy president must attend his trial, ICC says Friday, Oct 25, 2013 11:23 AM PDT  By Thomas Escritt and James Macharia THE HAGUE/NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto must attend all sessions of his trial at the International Criminal Court unless specifically excused, appeals judges ruled on Friday, putting the court at odds with Kenya and the African Union (AU). Prosecutors promptly requested a similar ruling in the separate case of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who had like Ruto been granted blanket permission to be absent for the bulk of his trial. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rebels and Congo army clash; Rwanda says it was shelled Friday, Oct 25, 2013 10:55 AM PDT By Kenny Katombe GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Congo's M23 rebels clashed with government troops for the first time in nearly two months on Friday, and neighboring Rwanda said Congolese army shells had landed on its territory, raising tensions in the volatile region. The fighting came after peace talks broke down in the Ugandan capital Kampala on Monday. It sent some 5,000 civilians fleeing across the border into Rwanda, a U.N. peacekeeping spokesman said. General Sultani Makenga, M23's military commander, said the rebels came under attack at 4 a.m. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian police use teargas on protests in Alexandria and Suez Friday, Oct 25, 2013 09:21 AM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Police used teargas on Friday to disperse demonstrations by supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in Egypt's second city, Alexandria, and in Suez. Mursi's supporters have staged frequent protests in towns and cities across Egypt, many of them following Friday prayers, since the army deposed him on July 3 in response to mass protests against his rule. In Suez, police fired tear gas to disperse around 4,000 pro-Mursi demonstrators, a local witness said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Germany wants a German Internet as spying scandal rankles Friday, Oct 25, 2013 07:15 AM PDT  By Leila Abboud and Peter Maushagen PARIS/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - As a diplomatic row rages between the United States and Europe over spying accusations, state-backed Deutsche Telekom wants German communications companies to cooperate to shield local internet traffic from foreign intelligence services. Yet the nascent effort, which took on new urgency after Germany said on Wednesday that it had evidence that Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone had been monitored, faces an uphill battle if it is to be more than a marketing gimmick. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU leaders rebuff calls for action on Europe's migration crisis Friday, Oct 25, 2013 07:55 AM PDT  By Adrian Croft and Justyna Pawlak BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders rebuffed calls from southern European states on Friday for emergency action to tackle a wave of illegal migration from Africa despite the deaths of hundreds of people in Mediterranean boat disasters. EU leaders meeting in Brussels expressed "deep sadness" at the drownings, which have killed up to 550 migrants this month alone, but postponed any new action until December. ... Full Story | Top |
| Eritreans protest in Italy as more migrants are rescued Friday, Oct 25, 2013 09:04 AM PDT By Naomi O'Leary and Steve Scherer ROME (Reuters) - Hundreds of Eritreans staged a symbolic funeral procession in front of Italy's parliament on Friday to remember refugees who drowned in a shipwreck this month, as ships rescued more than 700 seaborne migrants overnight. Italian naval and coast guard vessels rescued the migrants, including dozens of women and children, from five different boats in the waters between Sicily and North Africa, as European leaders tried to address a deepening immigration crisis. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran, powers to have expert-level nuclear talks in Vienna October 30-31 Friday, Oct 25, 2013 08:57 AM PDT  By Justyna Pawlak BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Experts from Iran and six world powers will meet in Vienna on October 30-31 to prepare the next round of high-level talks on the contested Iranian nuclear program with hopes of a breakthrough rising thanks to a diplomatic opening from Tehran. Western diplomats say the meeting, scheduled to take place a week before the next round of negotiations in Geneva in November, could be instrumental in defining the contours of any preliminary agreement on Iran's uranium enrichment campaign. ... Full Story | Top |
| Czech left set to win election but new parties cloud outlook Friday, Oct 25, 2013 08:59 AM PDT  By Jason Hovet PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czechs went to the polls on Friday in an election that will swing the nation leftwards after unpopular budget cuts and graft scandals felled a center-right government. The pro-European Union Social Democrats, promising to slap new taxes on big firms and high earners to pay for social programs, were likely to win the most votes but fall short of a majority and find it hard to form a strong cabinet. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iraq to press U.S. on drones, F-16s to fight al Qaeda Friday, Oct 25, 2013 07:27 AM PDT  By Peg Mackey BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Baghdad government wants the immediate delivery of U.S. drones and F-16 fighter jets in order to combat al Qaeda insurgents, who are making swift advances in the west of the Iraq, a senior Iraqi security official said. Washington agreed in August to supply a $2.6 billion integrated air defense system and F-16 fighter jets, with delivery due in autumn 2014. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who will meets U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington next week, has also requested drones to carry out surveillance of Iraq's desert border with Syria. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kenyan deputy president must attend his trial: ICC judges Friday, Oct 25, 2013 07:10 AM PDT  By Thomas Escritt and James Macharia THE HAGUE/NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto must attend all sessions of his trial at the International Criminal Court unless specifically excused, appeals judges ruled on Friday, putting the court at odds with Kenya and the African Union (AU). Ruto, accused along with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta of orchestrating a wave of violence after a 2007 election, had hoped judges would uphold an earlier decision to let him stay away from large parts of his trial. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK's Cameron says Snowden and media spy leaks 'helping enemies' Friday, Oct 25, 2013 06:42 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday accused U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden and unnamed newspapers of assisting Britain's enemies by helping them avoid surveillance by its intelligence services. In his strongest remarks on the subject yet, Cameron told a news conference in Brussels that the classified information which Snowden had leaked was going to make it harder for Britain and other countries to keep its citizens safe from people who wanted to "blow up" families. ... Full Story | Top |
| Aid and investment at stake as Madagascar votes Friday, Oct 25, 2013 06:29 AM PDT  By Richard Lough and Alain Iloniaina ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - The people of Madagascar voted on Friday in a presidential election they hope will end a political crisis and prompt investors and donors to return to the Indian Ocean island, four years after a coup sent its economy reeling. Street protests backed by mutinous troops propelled former disc jockey Andry Rajoelina, 39, to power in 2009 in the country of 22 million people, famed for its exotic wildlife and eyed by foreign firms for its oil, nickel, cobalt and gold. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rebels and Congo army clash; Rwanda says it was shelled Friday, Oct 25, 2013 05:29 AM PDT By Kenny Katombe GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Congo's M23 rebels clashed with government troops for the first time in nearly two months on Friday, and neighboring Rwanda said Congolese army shells had landed on its territory. The clash came days after peace talks broke down in the Ugandan capital Kampala. General Sultani Makenga, M23's military commander, said the rebels came under attack at 4 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) on Friday at Kanyamohoro, around 15 km (10 miles) north of Goma, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. ... Full Story | Top |
| FDA recommends tightening access to hydrocodone pain-killers Friday, Oct 25, 2013 04:46 AM PDT  By Toni Clarke WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday recommended tighter restrictions on products that contain hydrocodone, an opioid painkiller present in commonly prescribed, potentially addictive drugs such as Vicodin. Until now, Vicodin and other products that contain less than 15 milligrams of hydrocodone have been classified as Schedule III controlled substances. The FDA recommends reclassifying them more restrictively -- potentially as Schedule II products, in line with opioid pain-killers such as oxycodone and morphine. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. consumer sentiment slides in October on government shutdown Friday, Oct 25, 2013 07:25 AM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. consumer sentiment dropped in October to its lowest level since the end of last year as consumers worried congressional dysfunction and the resulting partial shutdown of the federal government would hurt growth, a survey released on Friday showed. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's final reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment fell to 73.2 in October from 77.5 in September and was the lowest final reading since December 2012. The October figure was lower than both the 75. ... Full Story | Top |
| Special Report: Help wanted in Fukushima: Low pay, high risks and gangsters Friday, Oct 25, 2013 10:45 AM PDT  By Antoni Slodkowski and Mari Saito IWAKI, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Tetsuya Hayashi went to Fukushima to take a job at ground zero of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. He lasted less than two weeks. Hayashi, 41, says he was recruited for a job monitoring the radiation exposure of workers leaving the plant in the summer of 2012. Instead, when he turned up for work, he was handed off through a web of contractors and assigned, to his surprise, to one of Fukushima's hottest radiation zones. He was told he would have to wear an oxygen tank and a double-layer protective suit. ... Full Story | Top |
| Twitter IPO pegs valuation at modest $11 billion Friday, Oct 25, 2013 07:44 AM PDT  By Alexei Oreskovic and Gerry Shih SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Seeking to avoid a repeat of Facebook Inc's much-maligned public debut, Twitter Inc revealed more modest ambitions, saying its initial offering would raise up to $1.6 billion and value the company at up to about $11 billion. The valuation was more conservative than the $15 billion some analysts had expected for the social media phenomenon, potentially attracting investors who might consider the money-losing company's listing price a better deal, with room to rise. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama chides Republicans on spending cuts at school event Friday, Oct 25, 2013 02:17 PM PDT  By Mark Felsenthal NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Barack Obama warned congressional Republicans on Friday that their next budget negotiations will need to be about more than just spending cuts after a fiscal stalemate that resulted in a 16-day government shutdown. Visiting a school that offers students a fast track to technology jobs to underline his point, Obama said some tax loopholes need to be eliminated to create more tax revenue for the government that can be used to trigger more job growth. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greek couple arrested for buying Roma baby Friday, Oct 25, 2013 01:05 AM PDT  ATHENS (Reuters) - A Greek couple has been arrested for buying a Roma baby girl from her mother for 4,000 euros ($5,500) and they will appear before a prosecutor on Friday to face charges, police said. It is the third case of suspected baby trafficking uncovered in Greece since last week, when authorities discovered a blond four-year-old girl in a Roma camp who did not resemble the family she was living with. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel-EU ties to fray without compromise on settlements: Israeli official Friday, Oct 25, 2013 12:01 AM PDT  By Crispian Balmer JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel and the European Union will drift apart if they cannot compromise on new EU guidelines covering Jewish settlement on occupied land that could damage research and trade ties, Israeli's deputy foreign minister said. The two sides must overcome the dispute - focused on territory that Palestinians want for a state - before the end of November, when a multi-million dollar EU research program called Horizon 2020 is due to be finalized. If there is no deal, Israel risks missing out on generous funding for its scientists. ... Full Story | Top |
| California cop's mistaken fatal shooting of boy unfolded in seconds Thursday, Oct 24, 2013 10:31 PM PDT By Ronnie Cohen SANTA ROSA, California (Reuters) - No more than 10 seconds elapsed from the time sheriff's deputies spotted a 13-year-old California boy carrying what they thought was an assault rifle and the moment they shot him dead, only to learn afterward the gun was a plastic replica, police said on Thursday. It took 16 seconds more for the two officers to call for medical assistance, according to the time line of events released by police investigating Tuesday's shooting in Santa Rosa, a suburb in northern California's wine country. ... Full Story | Top |
| China court upholds life sentence for Bo Xilai Thursday, Oct 24, 2013 09:38 PM PDT  By Michael Martina JINAN, China (Reuters) - A court in eastern China rejected an appeal by ousted senior politician Bo Xilai on Friday and, as expected, upheld his life sentence on charges of bribery, corruption and abuse of power. It said the evidence against him was clear. Bo, once a rising star in China's leadership circles who had cultivated a following through his populist, quasi-Maoist policies, was jailed for life in September after a dramatic fall from grace that shook the ruling Communist Party. ... Full Story | Top |
| Former NSA director Hayden gives background interview, but in public Friday, Oct 25, 2013 05:45 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former National Security Agency director Michael Hayden gave a series of background interviews on Thursday afternoon but chose an unusually public place to do it - an Amtrak train, according to fellow passenger Tom Matzzie. Matzzie, whose Twitter feed describes him as the founder of Ethical Electric Company, regaled followers with a string of tweets describing Hayden's comments to reporters. Hayden was also director of the CIA for three years. ... Full Story | Top |
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