| | |
| FACTBOX-Reaction to the death of Nelson Mandela Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 08:06 PM PST South African President Jacob Zuma: "Our people have lost a father. His humility, passion and humanity earned him their love." U.S. President Barack Obama: "He achieved more than could be expected of any man. Nelson Mandela was a hero of our time." Desmond Tutu, archbishop emeritus and anti-apartheid activist: "Like a most precious diamond honed deep beneath the surface of the earth, the Madiba who emerged from prison in January 1990 was virtually flawless ... Instead of calling for his pound of flesh, he proclaimed the message of forgiveness and reconciliation, inspiring others by his example to extraordinary acts of nobility of spirit." Former South African President F.W. de Klerk, on CNN: "He was a great unifier and a very, very special man in this regard beyond everything else he did. This emphasis on reconciliation was his biggest legacy." U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: "Nelson Mandela was a giant for justice and a down-to-earth human inspiration. Full Story | Top |
| Aide of reportedly disgraced Kim Jong Un's uncle seeks asylum in Sth Korea- media Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 07:32 PM PST  A close associate of the reportedly disgraced uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seeking asylum in South Korea, local media said on Friday. Jang Song Thaek's aide, who managed Jang's funds, requested asylum about two months ago and is currently in China under the protection of South Korean officials, South Korea's cable news network YTN said, citing a source familiar with the matter. A spokesman for South Korea's Unification Ministry, Kim Eui-do, said the defection report could not be confirmed. South Korea's National Intelligence Service said this week that Jang, the de-facto No.2 in North Korea, was removed from his positions, possibly in late November. Full Story | Top |
| China complains government building ban being flouted Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 07:25 PM PST  A ban on the construction of new government buildings in China is not being enforced effectively, the government said on Friday, ordering a new crackdown to ensure promises are kept to rein in extravagance and pervasive corruption. Numerous scandals in recent years have centered on excessive expenditure on new government buildings by officials, often in poverty-struck inland regions. Chinese President Xi Jinping has made fighting graft and extravagance a key platform of his new government, seeking to calm public anger over waste and corruption by government officials. In July, the government ordered a five-year suspension of the construction of new official buildings. Full Story | Top |
| South Africa, world mourn 'giant for justice' Mandela Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 07:12 PM PST  By Ed Cropley and Pascal Fletcher JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela died peacefully at home at the age of 95 on Thursday after months fighting a lung infection, leaving his nation and the world in mourning for a man revered as a moral giant. President Jacob Zuma's announcement late on Thursday of the death of a man who was a symbol of struggle against injustice and of racial reconciliation reverberated through South Africa and around the world. Mandela's passing, while long expected, left Africa's biggest economy still distant from being the "Rainbow Nation" ideal of social peace and shared prosperity that he had proclaimed on his triumphant release from prison in 1990. "He's in a better place, but I really hope South Africa realises what he wanted us to be ... we are not even half-way to what he wanted us to be," local resident Jack Van der Merwe said in the Johannesburg suburb of Melville. Full Story | Top |
| Mandela's struggle was personal inspiration, Obama says Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 06:37 PM PST By Jeff Mason and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - America's first black president, Barack Obama, hailed Nelson Mandela on Thursday as a source of personal inspiration whose struggle against racism in South Africa jump-started his own involvement in politics. Speaking in the White House press room shortly after the announcement of Mandela's death, a somber-looking Obama said the 95-year-old former South African president left a legacy of freedom and peace. "I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela's life. "Like so many around the globe, I cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that Nelson Mandela set, and so long as I live I will do what I can to learn from him," he said. Full Story | Top |
| Black students lagging in admissions to University of California Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 06:34 PM PST By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - Black students have been admitted to the University of California at starkly lower rates since racial consideration was banned in public college admissions in the state, especially at the most prestigious campuses, a report showed on Thursday. The report, by the education policy group Campaign for College Opportunity, also showed that African-American students were less likely than students from other ethnic groups to graduate from the state's public colleges and universities, and took longer to complete their degrees. (Report: http://r.reuters.com/mub35v) The study comes amid an ongoing debate in the United States over affirmative action, the practice of giving an advantage in hiring or college admissions to some minority applicants to boost opportunities for under-represented populations. "The persistent disparities between black students and their counterparts should sound an alarm for Californians and our elected leaders to make a concerted effort to systematically narrow and close these gaps," Michele Siqueiros, the group's president, wrote in the report. Full Story | Top |
| Mexico lower house greenlights electoral reform Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 05:28 PM PST  Mexico's lower house on Thursday gave general approval to an electoral reform demanded by the opposition, helping pave the way for Congress to focus on an energy bill at the center of President Enrique Pena Nieto's economic agenda. The bill, which was approved by the Senate on Wednesday, would be returned to Senators for a final vote if significant changes to the bill are made. Opposition conservatives have made their support for backing the energy overhaul conditional on passage of the electoral reform, which would allow lawmakers to serve consecutive terms in office. Full Story | Top |
| Stunned South Africa falls silent at Mandela's passing Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 05:20 PM PST By Xola Potelwa and Tiisetso Motsoeneng JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The music decks and end-of-year office parties fell silent across South Africa on Thursday when President Jacob Zuma delivered the news nobody wanted to hear: Beloved anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela had died. From sweaty nightclubs in the sprawling township of Soweto to the heart of Johannesburg's Sandton financial district, DJs hit the pause button as party-goers stood in stunned silence to listen to Zuma's nationally televised address. For most, the passing of South Africa's first black president was an unforgettable moment in history. "I can speak next to you now because of Nelson Mandela. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. lawmaker urges continuation of Boeing F/A-18 fighter line Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 05:02 PM PST  By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Randy Forbes, a key member of the House Armed Services Committee, on Thursday urged Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to rethink the U.S. Navy's current plan to allow Boeing Co's F/A-18 fighter jet production to close in 2016. Forbes released a December 4 letter to Hagel in which he raised concerns about the fighter industrial base and warned about relying solely on the next-generation F-35C fighter jet being developed by Lockheed Martin Corp since it will not be ready for operational use on an aircraft carrier until 2019. The lawmaker's warning comes amid a concerted push by Boeing for additional U.S. and foreign orders for its popular F/A-18 Super Hornet and the EA-18G Growler electronic attack plane based on the same airframe to keep production going. Boeing executives say they see good prospects for additional F/A-18 orders from the U.S. Navy, Canada, Australia, Denmark and several other countries, and they plan to continue investing in the fighter line. Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Boeing's employment in key U.S. states Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 04:40 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Boeing has asked more than a dozen states for proposals for building its new 777X jetliner. Here are the number of people Boeing employs in states where it has a significant presence, or that are known to be bidding, according to state officials and people familiar with the discussions. Washington: 86,538 California: 19,615 Missouri: 14,848 South Carolina: 6,394 Texas: 5,365 Alabama: 2,551 Kansas: 1,518 Florida: 1,490 Utah: 813 Georgia: 728 Wisconsin: 5 Source: Boeing 2012 annual data. (Reporting by Alwyn Scott; Editing by Peter Henderson and Grant McCool) Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Boeing bidders dangle goodies to win 777X jetliner Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 04:38 PM PST  By Alwyn Scott and Harriet McLeod NEW YORK/CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - South Carolina will clinch a long-awaited land sale next week that should help Boeing Co expand aircraft production. Perhaps more importantly, the $13.8 million deal may help South Carolina win assembly work for Boeing's next big jet. The acreage near Boeing's assembly line in North Charleston is just one of a tantalizing collection of goodies that states across the country are dangling to try to lure the lucrative new jet program, known as the 777X, that promises thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic benefit to the winning state. Boeing has requested proposals for the jetliner program from more than a dozen states after the unionized machinists in Washington state last month roundly rejected a labor contract that would have guaranteed the plane was built there. Full Story | Top |
| Southwest, Virgin win waiver to purchase LaGuardia slots Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 04:35 PM PST  By Karen Jacobs and Diane Bartz ATLANTA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Southwest Airlines is purchasing 22 of the 34 takeoff and landing slots at New York's LaGuardia Airport that American Airlines has given up in return for government approval of its merger with US Airways Group Inc . Virgin America plans to buy the remaining 12. US Airways and American agreed to give up dozens of airport slots to settle a lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice that sought to block the airlines from merging to create the world's largest carrier. Full Story | Top |
| Uniting South Africa was Mandela's greatest accomplishment: de Klerk Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 04:23 PM PST Nelson Mandela's greatest accomplishment was to unify South Africa and push for reconciliation between blacks and whites in the post-apartheid era, F.W. de Klerk, the country's last white president, said on Thursday. This emphasis on reconciliation was his biggest legacy," de Klerk, 77, said in an interview with CNN after the announcement of Mandela's death at age 95. De Klerk, a white Afrikaner who released Mandela from prison in 1990 and then negotiated the end of apartheid, said Mandela was a humane man who was able to understand and soothe the fears of South Africa's white minority in the transition to democracy. De Klerk said he felt a connection to the African National Congress leader during their first meeting in 1989, shortly after de Klerk had taken over as leader of South Africa's apartheid government. Full Story | Top |
| Obama sees bipartisan voter access proposal next year Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 04:20 PM PST  President Barack Obama said on Thursday he expects a blue-ribbon panel to soon propose reforms that both parties can back to address concerns over the long waiting times some American voters experienced at the polls in 2012. "Early next year, we're going to put forward what we know will be a bipartisan effort or a bipartisan proposal to encourage people to vote," he said in an interview on MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews." "You can't say you take pride in American democracy, American constitutionalism, American exceptionalism, and then you're doing everything you can to make it harder for people to vote as opposed to easier for people to vote." In his State of the Union address in February, the president vowed to smooth the voting process after stories of long lines and other obstacles during the 2012 election. He assigned the top attorney to his 2012 re-election campaign, Bob Bauer, and his counterpart from the rival Republican Mitt Romney's campaign, Ben Ginsberg, to lead a group to recommend how to reduce waiting times at polling sites. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. says China air defense zone unacceptable, shouldn't be implemented Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 04:19 PM PST  By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday that China's new air defense zone over the East China Sea was "unacceptable" and urged Beijing not to implement it, but stopped short of calling for it to rescind its declaration. Keeping up U.S. criticism, White House spokesman Jay Carney assailed China for a "dangerous and provocative" move that increased the risk of stumbling into a crisis, and said that was not consistent with the behavior of a major power. "We, the United States, do not recognize and we do not accept it, and will not change the way the United States conducts military operations in the region," Carney told reporters. Full Story | Top |
| Key U.S. lawmakers urge China to back off on air defense zone Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 04:19 PM PST By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Democratic and Republican leaders of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee urged China on Thursday not to implement an air defense zone over disputed islands in the East China Sea, saying in a letter that Beijing's recent activities threatened "vital national interests of the United States." Beijing's decision to declare the air defense identification zone in an area that includes disputed islands has triggered protests from the United States, Japan and South Korea, and was a central topic of discussions during a visit to Japan, China and South Korea this week by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. President Barack Obama's administration has made clear it will stand by treaty obligations that require it to defend the Japanese-controlled islands, but is also reluctant to get dragged into any military clash between rivals Japan and China. Full Story | Top |
| Obama: House Republicans should be 'embarrassed' by their record Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 04:08 PM PST  President Barack Obama said on Thursday that Republicans who control the House of Representatives have to be "embarrassed" by their inability to produce legislation such as an immigration overhaul. Obama's comments in an interview with MSNBC'S "Hardball" show were a sign that tensions linger between him and congressional Republicans after a government shutdown and close brush with a debt default in October sent all Washington politicians' job approval ratings tumbling. Obama wants the House to approve an immigration overhaul that the Democratic-controlled Senate has already passed, but House Speaker John Boehner is showing no signs of taking action on the legislation this year as the president wants. Obama said the concerns of some Republicans that they will face conservative challenges in the November 2014 congressional elections inhibits their ability to compromise. Full Story | Top |
| Obama calls pope 'soulful messenger' of peace, justice Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 04:06 PM PST  President Barack Obama likes what he sees from Pope Francis, who has called for a more humble Catholic Church that sides with the poor. Obama offered praise to the new pontiff in an interview with MSNBC's "Hardball" on Thursday, saying Francis has used the power of his office to remind people of their obligations to others and future generations. "I think Pope Francis is showing himself to be just an extraordinarily thoughtful, and soulful, messenger of peace and justice," Obama said. Obama has not yet met the pope, but he said "everything that I've read, everything that I've seen from him indicates the degree to which he is trying to remind us of those core obligations." Last week in Buenos Aires, the pope took on the issue of high youth unemployment, saying in a TN television interview that today people are living in an unjust international system in which "King Money" is at the center. Full Story | Top |
| Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden? Obama says won't choose between them for 2016 Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 04:05 PM PST  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama says both Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden would make outstanding presidents. That was the message Obama laid down in an interview on Thursday with MSNBC's "Hardball" program when host Chris Matthews asked him to compare and contrast the two. "Both Hillary and Joe would make outstanding presidents and possess the qualities that are needed to be outstanding presidents," he said. America's political world is a boil as to whether former Secretary of State Clinton will seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. Full Story | Top |
| Obama says he will propose NSA reforms Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 04:04 PM PST  President Barack Obama said on Thursday he intends to propose National Security Agency reforms to reassure Americans that their privacy is not being violated by the agency. "Part of what we're trying to do over the next month or so is, having done an independent review and brought a whole bunch of folks, civil libertarians and lawyers and others to examine what's being done, I'll be proposing some self-restraint on the NSA and to initiate some reforms that can give people more confidence," Obama said in an interview on the MSNBC television program "Hardball with Chris Matthews." A steady drip of revelations of NSA snooping has raised widespread concern about the reach of the agency's operations and its ability to pry into the affairs of private individuals as well as the communications of foreign leaders. The information comes from documents made public by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Obama said he would not comment on details of NSA programs, but that while revelations of the agency's activities have raised legitimate concerns, some aspects have been exaggerated. Full Story | Top |
| UK tech entrepreneur Lynch backs augmented reality start-up Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 04:03 PM PST By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) - Mike Lynch, who sold software firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion (6.73 billion pounds), is backing a start-up focused on augmented reality - the ability to overlay information on a real-world background which some see as the next big digital craze. The technology aims to help a device such as a mobile phone to recognise objects in the real world, such as a building, and overlay relevant information onto the image on its screen. The undisclosed investment is the second by Invoke Capital, a $1 billion fund set up by the British entrepreneur after he left Autonomy last year just seven months following the HP takeover that netted him about $760 million. Full Story | Top |
| Renewable fuel backers try to change EPA's mind at hearing Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 04:03 PM PST  By Cezary Podkul WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Supporters of the renewable fuels industry turned out en masse on Thursday, desperate for the U.S. government to change course after last month announcing a plan to lower the amount of biofuels that must be added to the fuel supply in 2014. About 300 people attended a public meeting held by the Environmental Protection Agency on the Renewable Fuel Standard, proposed changes which have become one of the most divisive policy issues of the year. The number of stakeholders who signed up to testify - almost 150 - was 10 times or more the count at a similar meeting a year ago, an EPA official said. Robert Dinneen, president of the Renewable Fuels Association, estimated that more than 100 of the speakers scheduled to testify were in favor of preserving the renewable fuel standard. Full Story | Top |
| Bear suspected of mauling Florida woman trapped and killed Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 03:37 PM PST By Barbara Liston ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - A 200-pound (90 kg) female bear suspected of mauling and seriously injuring a central Florida woman earlier this week was caught on Wednesday night and killed, state wildlife authorities said. "We decided to follow the course of an abundance of caution and put the bear down," said Nick Wiley, executive director of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. Susan Chalfant, 54, was injured by a bear while out walking her two small dogs Monday evening in Longwood, a leafy residential area about 15 miles north of Orlando. Neighbors described her as bleeding profusely from the head after the attack and she was hospitalized at the Orlando Regional Medical Center for what officials described as non-life-threatening injuries. Full Story | Top |
| GM's Holden to exit Australia as early as 2016: reports Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 03:33 PM PST  General Motors Co has decided to pull out of vehicle production in Australia as early as 2016, local media reported on Friday, in what would be a major blow to the struggling industry. Citing unnamed senior government sources, the Australian Broadcasting Corp said an announcement on the decision to close was supposed to have been made this week but had been put off until early next year. A GM spokesman in Detroit declined to comment on the reports. Both Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane and shadow minister Kim Carr said they understood no decision had been made. Full Story | Top |
| Deutsche Bank quits commodities, but keeps index funds Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 03:19 PM PST  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank, which is quitting trading in most raw materials markets, will retain its near $9 billion commodities index fund business, a strategy industry experts said helps the German bank profit from fees and maintain ties with some of the largest investors. A top-five financial player in commodities, Deutsche Bank said on Thursday it will cease trading energy, agriculture, base metals, coal and iron ore, while retaining precious metals and a limited number of financial derivatives traders. But the bank will continue to deal in commodity indexes, said spokeswoman Renee Calabro in New York. Industry experts said commodity indexes were shielded from the lower profit margins, higher capital requirements and growing political and regulatory scrutiny that were forcing banks out of proprietary and physical trading of commodities. Full Story | Top |
| Florida State star quarterback cleared in sex assault probe Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 03:18 PM PST  By Bill Cotterell TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, considered the front runner for college football's prestigious Heisman Trophy, will not be charged with sexual assault in a case that had put a cloud over his season, a state prosecutor said on Thursday. "We have a duty to only file those charges if we have a reasonable likelihood of a conviction," State Attorney Willie Meggs said at a standing room-only news conference. Winston was accused by a Florida State University who said she was raped after a night of drinking with friends at a bar near campus. Winston's attorney, Timothy Jansen, later told reporters that his client had been vindicated and reiterated his earlier claim that Winston had only consensual sex with his accuser. Full Story | Top |
| Canada must do more to engage aboriginals on pipelines -report Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 03:09 PM PST  By Julie Gordon VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Canada must do more to build trust with aboriginal communities to win their support for resource projects such as oil pipelines and natural gas terminals, a government report said on Thursday. "There has not been a constructive dialogue about energy projects. Aboriginal leaders are prepared to engage and Canada will need to address issues on their agenda," Douglas Eyford, the federal government's special representative on west coast energy infrastructure, said in the 58-page report. Canada has long had poor relations with its million-strong native Indian population, which is largely beset with poverty, poor housing and high unemployment. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. fast-food workers rally for higher minimum wage Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 03:07 PM PST By Elizabeth Dilts NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fast-food workers in hundreds of U.S. cities staged a day of rallies on Thursday to demand higher wages, saying the pay was too low to feed a family and forced most to accept public assistance. The description of fast-food workers, once viewed mainly as teenagers looking for pocket money or a first job, has changed. Today's fast-food worker is typically over 20, often raising a child, and 68 percent are the primary wage earners in their families, according to a report by the University of Illinois and the University of California, Berkeley. About 100 workers in Chicago marched along Michigan Avenue with a large costumed Grinch, chanting: "We can't survive on $7.25." Protesters want the hourly U.S. minimum wage raised to $15 from $7.25. Full Story | Top |
| Obama: 'courageous' Mandela left legacy of freedom, peace Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 03:06 PM PST President Barack Obama hailed former South African President Nelson Mandela on Thursday as a leader who left his country with a legacy of freedom and peace. "He achieved more than could be expected of any man," Obama said at the White House shortly after the announcement of Mandela's death. "Today he's gone home, and we've lost one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this earth," Obama said. Obama, the first black U.S. president, has long referred to Mandela as a personal inspiration. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine protesters vow to stay on streets despite police threat Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 03:05 PM PST  By Matt Robinson KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian pro-Europe demonstrators vowed to stay on the streets and continue their blockade of government buildings, despite a police threat to crack down "harshly" to enforce a court order that they disperse. Kiev's November 21 decision to abandon a trade and integration deal with the EU and pursue closer economic ties with Moscow brought hundreds of thousands of demonstrators into the streets over the weekend. Protesters have since blockaded the main government headquarters and occupied Kiev's city hall. The government ratcheted up its rhetoric on Thursday, with Prime Minister Mykola Azarov branding opponents "Nazis and criminals." Kiev's police chief, Valery Mazan, threatened to "act decisively, harshly" if the protesters defy the court order to end their blockade and occupation of government buildings. Full Story | Top |
| Zuma's announcement on death of Nelson Mandela Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 03:03 PM PST Following is the full text of South African President Jacob Zuma's address to the nation on the death of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela on Thursday: "My Fellow South Africans, our beloved Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the founding President of our democratic nation, has departed. "Let us express, each in our own way, the deep gratitude we feel for a life spent in service of the people of this country and in the cause of humanity. Full Story | Top |
| France vows immediate action in Central African Republic after battle Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 02:56 PM PST By Emmanuel Braun and Paul-Marin Ngoupana BANGUI (Reuters) - France said it would act immediately in Central African Republic after securing U.N. backing to halt sectarian violence that rocked the capital on Thursday and risked escalating into widespread civilian massacres. A Reuters witness and an aid worker said at least 105 people were killed in fierce fighting in Bangui between mainly Muslim former rebels now in charge of the country and a mix of local Christian militia and fighters loyal to ousted president Francois Bozize. Many were civilians. Mindful of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, when hundreds of thousands were killed as the world looked on, the United States and other Western powers have urged swift international action to prevent the anarchy in Central African Republic leading to atrocities against the civilian population. Full Story | Top |
| Timeline: Deutsche Bank's commodities operations Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 02:53 PM PST LONDON (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank is exiting the majority of its global commodity businesses due to rising regulatory pressures, becoming the latest bank to sell or scale back its operations in the once lucrative sector. Deutsche is active in oil, refined products, metals, gas, power, agriculture and carbon markets. Here is a timeline of significant events in the German bank's raw materials business: May 4, 2005 - Mark Ritter joins Deutsche Bank from UBS as managing director and global head of commodities within its Global Markets division. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Africa has lost 'colossus' in Mandela: ANC Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 02:50 PM PST JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa and the world have lost "a colossus and epitome of humility, equality, justice and peace" with the death of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, the ruling African National Congress said on Friday. "His life gives us the courage to push forward for development and progress towards ending hunger and poverty," it said in a statement. (Reporting by Stella Mapenzauswa; Editing by Ed Cropley) Full Story | Top |
| Microsoft assures international business customers on spying Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 02:49 PM PST  By Joseph Menn SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp pledged late Wednesday to fight in court any attempt by U.S. intelligence agencies to seize its foreign business customers' data under American surveillance laws, one of a series of steps aimed at reassuring nervous users abroad. "We are committing contractually to not turning it over without litigating that issue," Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith said in an interview. However, Microsoft has turned over data on non-U.S.-based individuals using its email and other services, as required under FISA laws. Microsoft and other companies are suing the government for the right to disclose how frequently that happens. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. talks to ease spending cuts, avert shutdown at critical stage: aides Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 02:48 PM PST  By Richard Cowan and David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. budget negotiators were down to the final, most difficult items in a two-year deal to avoid another federal shutdown next month and ease some across-the-board spending cuts set to hit military and domestic programs, congressional aides said on Thursday. The small-scale agreement being negotiated by Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat, and Republican Representative Paul Ryan would lead to less than $100 billion in new savings, aides familiar with the talks said. Ryan, the chairman of the House of Representatives budget committee and Murray, who chairs the Senate budget committee, are expected to continue their talks on Friday with the aim of a deal that can be passed next week, before the start of a House recess on December 13. But any deal's fate in Congress could hinge in part on whether it includes an agreement to extend long-term federal unemployment benefits due to expire later this month for some 1.3 million Americans. Full Story | Top |
| Two Britons to plead guilty to terror charges in U.S. court Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 02:34 PM PST (Reuters) - Two Britons facing trial in the United States for charges of supporting militant groups including al Qaeda by operating websites promoting jihad plan to change their pleas to guilty next week, court papers filed on Thursday showed. The men, Babar Ahmad and Syed Talha Ahsan, faced trial on charges including providing material support to terrorists and conspiracy to injure the property of a foreign government for running a website that U.S. prosecutors contended raised funds for Muslim militants in Afghanistan and Chechnya. The two were extradited to the United States from Britain last year for trial and had entered not guilty pleas to all charges in U.S. District Court in Connecticut. Full Story | Top |
| Ex-Tyco CEO Kozlowski says he stole out of pure greed Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 02:27 PM PST  By Karen Freifeld NEW YORK (Reuters) - Disgraced ex-Tyco International Ltd chief executive Dennis Kozlowski, who was granted parole this week after serving an eight-year prison sentence, said simple greed had led him to steal more than $150 million from the company, a transcript of a parole board hearing released Thursday showed. "It was greed, pure and simple," the 67-year-old former executive told a New York State parole panel at a December 3 video conference hearing. "I feel horrible ... I can't say how sorry I am and how deeply I regret my actions." The panel granted Kozlowski's parole bid on Tuesday and he is scheduled to be formally released on January 17. Full Story | Top |
| Ex-Dell employee avoids prison for help in insider trading probe Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 02:26 PM PST  By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former Dell Inc supply manager who cooperated with government insider trading investigations, including a probe of a portfolio manager at SAC Capital Advisors, avoided prison on Thursday as a result of his cooperation. Daniel DeVore, 49, pleaded guilty in 2010 to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud for passing confidential information about Dell and its suppliers. U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan sentenced DeVore to time served plus two years of supervised release. Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Quotations about Nelson Mandela Thursday, Dec 05, 2013 02:23 PM PST (Reuters) - Here are some comments from notable figures about Nelson Mandela, made during his lifetime. "Nelson Mandela gave 27 years of his life, walked out of prison, and included his oppressors in his government so that they could all be free. He taught us that none of us can ever be free at another's expense." - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton in 2008. - - - - "Anyone who wants to talk to me on the basis that Mandela is the leader of black South Africa can forget it." - South African Prime Minister John Vorster in 1975. Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment