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| Japan eyes Pacific trade pact concessions as talks with U.S. begin Monday, Feb 17, 2014 08:05 PM PST  Japan could make concessions on tariffs on some sensitive farm products, a key cabinet minister said on Tuesday, as U.S. and Japanese officials began talks ahead of next-week's high-level multilateral negotiations on a U.S.-led free trade deal. A deal between the United States and Japan, the two biggest economies taking part in talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) pact, is vital if a broad agreement is to be clinched at talks among all 12 participants in Singapore from Monday. The United States had hoped to wrap up the TPP, which aims to cut tariffs in countries forming 40 percent of the world economy and set common standards on other issues, by the end of last year. But obstacles remain over issues including Japanese protection of sensitive agricultural products, such as rice, and U.S. automakers' fears of increased competition from Japan. Full Story | Top |
| For India's railway children, a dangerous life by the tracks Monday, Feb 17, 2014 07:51 PM PST By Angus MacSwan NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The young boys huddled over a fire between two tracks just beyond the platforms of New Delhi railway station, oblivious to the trains rolling past. These were just a few of India's "railway children" - whose ranks are swelled by an estimated 120,000 runaways arriving each year at the stations of the world's fourth-largest railway network to make their homes there. They have fled poverty, violence and abuse or are simply seeking adventure, attracted by the bright lights of the big cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. The children are a reminder that despite newfound wealth, ranks of billionaires and a growing middle-class, there is no magic wand to solve the problems of the old India. Full Story | Top |
| BOJ stands pat on policy, extends special loan schemes Monday, Feb 17, 2014 07:42 PM PST  TOKYO (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan kept monetary policy steady on Tuesday and maintained its upbeat assessment on the economy, unfazed by recent signs of slackening momentum in growth and signaling that any additional stimulus may be some time away. The central bank also decided to extend three special loan facilities by one year from their scheduled expiry at end March. The facilities had been cobbled together between 2010 and 2012 as a way to drive funds through the banking sector to borrowers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dollar near six-week lows, Asian shares mostly softer Monday, Feb 17, 2014 07:26 PM PST  The dollar index stood at 80.114 near its lowest level so far this year while gold and silver stood near 3-1/2-month highs on the back of the dollar's weakness. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped 0.2 percent as Chinese shares slid from two-month highs after the Chinese central bank said it would drain funds from money markets. Japan's Nikkei stock average bucked the trend, rising 0.9 percent helped by a pullback in the yen, building on a 0.6 percent rise the previous day. Some of its strength is likely to stem from speculation the Bank of Japan could take fresh easing steps such as buying more shares on Tuesday, although a majority of market players see no policy change. Full Story | Top |
| Thai police reclaim Bangkok protest site, to move on others Monday, Feb 17, 2014 07:26 PM PST  By Panarat Thepgumpanat BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai police cleared anti-government protesters on Tuesday from a site near the Energy Ministry in Bangkok that had been occupied for weeks, and officers with shields also confronted demonstrators blocking the government's headquarters. The protesters have been rallying since November in a bid to oust Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, whom they view as a proxy for her elder brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former premier and telecoms tycoon toppled in a military coup in 2006. Security officials said 15,000 officers were involved in an operation, called the "Peace for Bangkok Mission", to reclaim protest sites around government buildings in the centre and north of the capital. "We have taken back one of five protest sites that we aimed to reclaim, which is the Ministry of Energy," National Security Council Chief Paradorn Pattanathabutr told Reuters. Full Story | Top |
| Mexico Supreme Court backs watchdog's power to rule in TV dispute Monday, Feb 17, 2014 07:17 PM PST  Mexico's top court on Monday said that the country's new phone and television regulator has power to enforce rules that were laid out in a constitutional reform approved last year, Mexico's President's office said in a statement. President Enrique Pena Nieto last week asked the Supreme Court to intervene after a legal battle in a lower court between broadcasters and pay-television providers forced Mexico's new telecommunications regulator to suspend a decision. The Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) had said a Mexico City judge had forced it to halt a planned decision on enforcing so-called 'must carry, must offer', which says pay-television operators must offer public broadcast channels, and the broadcasters must offer their signals for a fair price. Full Story | Top |
| One dead, many hurt as asylum seekers riot at PNG detention camp Monday, Feb 17, 2014 05:34 PM PST By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - An asylum seeker was killed and at least 77 injured in the second riot this week at a detention center in Papua New Guinea used to process asylum seekers, Australia's Immigration Minister said on Tuesday. One person was in critical condition with a head injury and another sustained gunshot wounds during clashes that erupted after asylum seekers forced their way out of the center on a small island in impoverished Papua New Guinea. The facility is part of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's tough stance against asylum seekers but it has come under fire over human rights concerns. Full Story | Top |
| Sinai-based militants claim responsibility for tourist bus blast in Egypt Monday, Feb 17, 2014 05:08 PM PST The Islamist militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis said on Tuesday the bombing of a tourist bus in Egypt's Sinai that killed two South Koreans and the Egyptian driver on Sunday was a suicide attack carried out by one of its fighters, and threatened more strikes against economic targets. The attack on the bus, which was travelling to Israel from St. Catherine's Monastery, a popular tourist destination in the south Sinai, was the first assault on tourists since President Mohamed Mursi's ouster spurred an Islamist insurgency. "Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis has successfully sacrificed one of its heroes to detonate the bus headed toward the Zionists, and this comes as part of our economic war against this regime of traitors," the group said in a statement. Islamist militancy has risen sharply in Egypt, including the largely lawless region adjoining Israel and the Gaza Strip, since the army deposed Islamist Mursi in July, following mass protests against his rule. Full Story | Top |
| Pakistan militant resurfaces, ignites Indian fears of attacks Monday, Feb 17, 2014 04:30 PM PST  By Sanjeev Miglani and Katharine Houreld NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The Pakistani Islamic hardliner blamed for an attack on India's parliament that brought the nuclear rivals to the brink of war has resurfaced after years in seclusion, setting off alarm bells in New Delhi. Twice since the end of December, Indian authorities have issued an airport security alert, warning of an attempt by members of a Pakistan-based militant group called Jaish-e-Mohammad, or Army of Muhammad, to hijack a plane, with smaller airfields most at risk. Indian officials have said the alerts followed reports of increased activity by Maulana Masood Azhar, the leader of the outlawed militant group. Azhar was named by an Indian court as the prime suspect in a 2001 attack on India's parliament aimed at taking top political leaders hostage. Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela raids opposition party office, expels three U.S. diplomats Monday, Feb 17, 2014 04:29 PM PST  By Diego Ore and Brian Ellsworth CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan security forces raided the headquarters of an opposition party accused of fomenting nearly a week of violent protests, witnesses said, as the country expelled three U.S. diplomats on charges of conspiring with demonstrators. Presumed military intelligence officers burst into the opposition Popular Will party office and attempted to forcibly remove several activists after throwing tear gas inside, according to party officials. "The intelligence officers arrived and began to harass us," said party activist Adriangela Ruiz. "They threw tear gas, took computers and tried to take away several people." The government has issued an arrest warrant for Popular Will's founder, Leopoldo Lopez, 42, the U.S.-educated opposition leader accused of murder and terrorism in relation to the violent demonstrations of the past week. Full Story | Top |
| UK insurers to brief government on flood recovery Monday, Feb 17, 2014 04:08 PM PST  British ministers will meet representatives of the insurance industry on Tuesday who will brief them on their progress in dealing with victims of winter floods across southern England. Senior members of the British government will be briefed by executives from insurers representing nearly two-thirds of the market, including Aviva, Direct Line and RSA, Prime Minister David Cameron's office said on Monday. The head of the Association of British Insurers will also attend the meeting with Cabinet Office ministers Oliver Letwin and Jo Johnson, Flooding Minister Dan Rogerson and Communities Minister Brandon Lewis. "Insurance industry leaders will also talk ministers through the support they are already offering and commitments they have made." Analysts at Deloitte have estimated the bill for repairs could reach 1 billion pounds if heavy rains continue into the spring. Full Story | Top |
| London fashion shows draw inspiration from painting, sportswear Monday, Feb 17, 2014 03:54 PM PST  By Li-mei Hoang and Brenda Goh LONDON (Reuters) - London's fashion designers looked to painting and sportswear for inspiration as leading fashion editors, models and celebrities flocked to the capital's biggest runway shows on Monday. British heritage brand Burberry sent models down the runway in long flowing dresses and scarves, daubed with brushstroke designs of flowers, leaves and autumnal abstract prints in shades of cornflower blue, lemon yellow and blush pink. The show, which featured a live performance from musicians Paloma Faith, Ed Harcourt and Rhodes, was attended by actors Bradley Cooper and Naomie Harris, as well as U.S. Vogue editor Anna Wintour and Harry Styles from boy band One Direction. Full Story | Top |
| Iran and U.S. agree final nuclear deal may be unreachable Monday, Feb 17, 2014 03:49 PM PST  By Parisa Hafezi and Louis Charbonneau VIENNA (Reuters) - The United States and long-time arch-foe Iran agree on at least one thing ahead of Tuesday's negotiations on a long-term nuclear deal - reaching an agreement will be very difficult, if not impossible. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the man who has the final say on all matters of state in the Islamic Republic, declared again on Monday that talks between Tehran and six world powers "will not lead anywhere. Their remarks came on the eve of the first round of high-level negotiations since an interim deal was struck on November 24 under which Tehran curbed some nuclear activities for six months in return for limited sanctions relief to allow time for a long-term agreement to be hammered out. Despite his skepticism about the chances for a lasting deal with the West, Khamenei made clear Tehran was committed to continuing the negotiations between Iran and Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States. Full Story | Top |
| Sinai-Based militant group claims responsibility for Egypt's tourist bus blast Monday, Feb 17, 2014 03:45 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - The Sinai-based Islamist militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a blast on a tourist bus that killed two South Koreans and the Egyptian driver on Sunday, the group said in a statement. Islamist militancy has risen sharply in the relatively lawless region adjoining Israel and the Gaza Strip and elsewhere in Egypt since the army deposed Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in July, following mass protests. (Reporting by Asma Alsharif) Full Story | Top |
| Indiana moves closer to constitutional ban on same-sex marriage Monday, Feb 17, 2014 03:44 PM PST By Abdul-Hakim Shabazz INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - The Indiana Senate on Monday approved a proposed amendment to the state's constitution that would prohibit same-sex marriage but more steps are required before it goes to voters in 2016. The Indiana Senate approved the proposed ban by a vote of 32-17, following approval in the House of Representatives last month. Indiana bans gay marriage by statute and supporters have said a constitutional amendment would provide additional protection from court challenges. A version of the amendment had passed the Republican-dominated Indiana legislature in 2011, but the Indiana House in January softened it by removing language that would have banned gay civil unions. Full Story | Top |
| Brazil official urges Cuiabá to ensure stadium ready for World Cup Monday, Feb 17, 2014 03:33 PM PST  By Brian Winter and Anthony Boadle SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's government on Monday urged officials in the city of Cuiabá to do whatever necessary to get its stadium ready in time for this year's World Cup soccer tournament, following a prosecutors' report that an October fire at the venue caused far more damage than previously disclosed. Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo downplayed the severity of the October 25 fire at Cuiabá's Arena Pantanal, which he described as "small," but he acknowledged that prosecutors in Mato Grosso state, where the stadium is located, have demanded a new, independent evaluation of its safety following the report of structural damage there. The state government gave reporters a tour on Monday of the area where the fire hit, and no signs of damage were apparent. An independent consultant was also due to visit the Cuiabá stadium on Monday and report his findings back to Brazilian officials and FIFA, soccer's governing body, which has said it was unaware of any structural damage caused by the fire. Full Story | Top |
| Miami artist charged with smashing $1 million Ai Weiwei museum vase Monday, Feb 17, 2014 03:00 PM PST  By Zachary Fagenson MIAMI (Reuters) - Miami police have arrested a local artist who they say destroyed a $1 million vase by Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei to protest that the city's newly opened museum is only displaying international art. Dominican-born Maximo Caminero, 51, was arrested and charged on Sunday with criminal mischief after picking up one of 16 brightly painted vases at the Perez Art Museum Miami and throwing it to the ground when confronted by security, according to a police report. Caminero, reached by telephone, told Reuters he is a painter and lives in Miami. Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela expels three U.S. diplomats, protests rumble Monday, Feb 17, 2014 02:56 PM PST By Girish Gupta and Brian Ellsworth CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela gave three U.S. diplomats 48 hours to leave the country on Monday, accusing them of conspiring against the government to incite protests that were the OPEC nation's most serious violence since President Nicolas Maduro's April election. Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said the three consular staff used visa visits to universities as cover for promoting student-lead protests. The demonstrations, which have energized the opposition but show few signs they can oust Maduro, continued on Monday with rowdy protests around Caracas and various provincial cities. On Wednesday, the protests turned deadly and three people were fatally shot. Full Story | Top |
| France moves to ban GM maize planting in short, long term Monday, Feb 17, 2014 02:30 PM PST France published a decree on Monday to prevent the planting of genetically modified maize as a stopgap measure, while the government works on changes to domestic and European laws to ensure a longer-term ban. The French government, which maintains that GM crops present environmental risks, has been trying to institute a new ban on GM maize (corn) after a senior court twice struck down similar measures. But in a surprise move, the French Senate late on Monday rejected a proposed domestic law banning GM maize crops with a majority of voters adopting a motion of inadmissibility claiming the attempt as unconstitutional. Monday's decree was timed to avert any sowing of GM maize by farmers before a law banning planting of GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Full Story | Top |
| Asylum seekers injured in incident at PNG centre: Australia Monday, Feb 17, 2014 02:19 PM PST  A group of people seeking asylum in Australia rioted and breached fences at a Papua New Guinea processing centre, the second serious incident in two days, Australia's immigration minister said on Tuesday. An unspecified number of detainees were injured, some seriously, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement. Manus Island in impoverished Papua New Guinea hosts a detention center for would-be refugees sent there after trying to get to Australia, often in unsafe boats after paying people smugglers in Indonesia. The incident followed an attempted breakout on Sunday night, when 35 asylum seekers briefly escaped, 19 were injured and eight arrested. Full Story | Top |
| White House report on economic stimulus rekindles debate five years later Monday, Feb 17, 2014 01:58 PM PST  By Steve Holland RANCHO MIRAGE, California (Reuters) - President Barack Obama marked the five-year anniversary of a controversial economic stimulus plan by releasing a report on Monday saying that government spending averted a second Great Depression, setting off a new round of partisan debate about the decision. Obama had been in office only a month when he signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a $787 billion stimulus that Democratic majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives passed over the objections of Republicans. The White House, eager to lay to rest those doubts, issued a five-year report that said the stimulus generated an average of 1.6 million jobs a year for four years through the end of 2012. (Report: http://r.reuters.com/xat86v) The stimulus by itself raised the level of gross domestic product by between 2 percent and 3 percent from late 2009 through mid-2011, said the report, issued by the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Full Story | Top |
| Eric Barron named president of Penn State Monday, Feb 17, 2014 01:53 PM PST By Daniel Kelley PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Eric Barron, a former dean at Penn State and president of Florida State University, was named president of the Pennsylvania university still reeling from the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. Penn State's Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Monday to make Barron, 62, the school's 18th president with an annual salary of $800,000, and the potential for a $1 million bonus if he stays for five years. Sandusky, 70, a former assistant football coach, is serving 30 to 60 years in prison after his conviction on 45 counts of sexually abusing boys, some in the football team's showers. Full Story | Top |
| FIFA expects Brazil police to bring violent World Cup protests under control Monday, Feb 17, 2014 01:14 PM PST  By Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) - Faced with the specter of street protests disrupting this year's World Cup, soccer's governing body FIFA expects host country Brazil to deploy police if necessary to contain violent demonstrators and guarantee access to stadiums. FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, who is touring some World Cup host cities this week, said Brazilians are democratically entitled to stage peaceful protests during the global sporting event. Brazilian authorities are bracing for a new wave of protests during the World Cup and plan to deploy tens of thousands of police and have military troops on standby to secure the 12 stadiums across Brazil where the games will be played between June 12 and July 13. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. hearing paused for alleged USS Cole bombing mastermind Monday, Feb 17, 2014 01:12 PM PST A U.S. military tribunal judge on Monday postponed pretrial hearings for a man accused of masterminding the 2000 USS Cole suicide bombing to allow time for the defendant to meet with the lawyer he has threatened to fire, a Pentagon official said. U.S. Army Colonel Judge James Pohl recessed the court until Wednesday after hearing that Guantanamo detainee Abd al-Rahim al Nashiri is considering dropping his death penalty attorney, Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Todd Breasseale said in an email. Nashiri is awaiting trial in September for allegedly orchestrating the 2000 attack in which al Qaeda bombers steered a boat full of explosives into the side of the American warship while it refueled in the Yemeni port of Aden, killing 17 U.S. sailors and wounding 37. Less than 15 minutes into the first hearing, death penalty attorney Richard Kammen told the judge that Nashiri said he wanted to change counsel and asked for two days to "meet with his client and to make a determination as to his demands," Breasseale said. Full Story | Top |
| Weak spending shows Japanese consumer doubts about Abenomics Monday, Feb 17, 2014 01:07 PM PST  By Stanley White TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese consumers ended last year with a whimper instead of the bang many had expected, reinforcing a nagging worry that the prime minister's aggressive policies are struggling to find support among those key to its success. Economic growth figures on Monday added to evidence that concern about job security is holding back consumers, trumping the urge to spend before a rise in the national sales tax rate in April makes goods more expensive. Although Japan's jobless rate is at a six-year low, the number of contract workers, who are paid less than regular staff, is at a record high. That equation is undermining the government's base scenario that consumer spending will boom in the months before the tax hike, fall sharply immediately afterwards and then resume steady growth underpinned by falling unemployment and rising wages. Full Story | Top |
| BOJ to hold fire, keep upbeat economic view despite soft GDP Monday, Feb 17, 2014 01:04 PM PST By Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan is expected to keep monetary policy steady on Tuesday and maintain its upbeat view on the economy, unfazed by recent signs of slower growth and suggesting that any additional stimulus will be some time away. Data on Monday showing the world's third-largest economy grew much slower than expected in the fourth quarter underscored the challenge of ending nearly two decades of stagnation. It also may heighten pressure on the BOJ in coming months to do more to bolster the economy, analysts say. With the yen and Japanese stock prices also having calmed down after the latest emerging market rout, the BOJ also sees little need to use its depleted policy arsenal now. Full Story | Top |
| Conservative group's anti-union effort to target U.S. auto plants Monday, Feb 17, 2014 01:02 PM PST  By John Whitesides WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A conservative group that helped defeat an organizing campaign by the United Auto Workers in Tennessee will take its anti-union fight to other auto plants in the South, its leaders said on Monday. The Center for Worker Freedom, which is linked to anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist, plans to renew its battle against the UAW at plants in Alabama and Mississippi where the union wants to organize. "Those are likely the next big ones for the UAW," said Matt Patterson, executive director of the center. "We'll be there." The UAW suffered a bitter setback on Friday when employees at the Volkswagen AG plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted 712 to 626 against joining the union, even though Volkswagen had remained neutral in the union drive. Full Story | Top |
| Honduras murder rate falls in 2013, but remains world's highest Monday, Feb 17, 2014 12:52 PM PST By Gustavo Palencia TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - The murder rate in Honduras, the Central American country with the world's highest number of homicides per capita, fell last year according to a United Nations-affiliated report released on Monday, although the number of "atrocious crimes" ticked up. Honduras has suffered a wave of violence in recent years, as Mexican drug cartels have expanded into the country, enlisting local street gangs and using the country's often lawless Caribbean coastline as a pit stop for U.S.-bound cocaine from South America. The murder rate fell by 6.5 percentage points in 2013, a security institute sponsored by the U.N. and part of Honduras' national university said in its annual report. Migdonia Ayestas, who leads the institute, told Reuters that violent homicides fell to 79 per 100,000 people last year from 85.5 in 2012. Full Story | Top |
| Explosive found in carry-on bag at Anchorage airport Monday, Feb 17, 2014 12:36 PM PST By Steve Quinn JUNEAU, Alaska (Reuters) - Security agents at Alaska's largest commercial airport closed the lone security checkpoint for nearly two hours on Sunday after discovering an oil field worker packing an explosive device. The "possible threat item" was detected as the passenger's carry-on bag was being screened at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport on Sunday afternoon, said Ann Davis, a Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman. The passenger had a ticket to fly on Shared Services Aviation, a joint service between energy companies ConocoPhillips and BP, which transports employees and contractors. Full Story | Top |
| Former president Chirac hospitalised, life not in danger: source Monday, Feb 17, 2014 12:32 PM PST  Former French President Jacques Chirac was admitted to a hospital near Paris on Monday for examinations due to pain linked to gout, a source close to his family said. "His leg has been hurting for two days, which is apparently related to an episode of gout that has caused him a lot of pain." "He was transferred to the American Hospital in Neuilly for examinations," the source added. Full Story | Top |
| Russia boosts Ukraine's Yanukovich with $2 billion fresh credit Monday, Feb 17, 2014 12:29 PM PST By Richard Balmforth KIEV (Reuters) - Russia said on Monday it would give Ukraine a fresh cash injection of $2 billion to support its heavily indebted economy in a boost to the embattled president in Kiev, who has been forced onto the back foot by 12 weeks of unrest. Viktor Yanukovich is contending with an opposition-led street revolt after he walked away from a trade pact with the European Union in November and opted instead for forging closer economic ties with Russia, Ukraine's former Soviet master. With the opposition, backed by the United States and its EU allies, pressing hard for Yanukovich to allow the formation of an independent government, the Kremlin had hinted strongly that a $15-billion lifeline would be frozen unless he produced a new government acceptable to Moscow to replace the prime minister who was removed three weeks ago to appease the protesters. Full Story | Top |
| Olympics-Americans make history on ice, fog forces delays in mountains Monday, Feb 17, 2014 12:27 PM PST (Adds U.S. skating gold, quotes, final medals) * Americans skate to historic gold in ice dance * Belarus biathlete wins third title of Sochi Games * Dense fog forces delays in the mountains * Six days of competition left at Winter Olympics By Mike Collett-White SOCHI, Russia, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White skated into the history books at the Sochi Winter Olympics on Monday when they won the ice dance gold, but thick fog in the mountains forced organisers to postpone two events and warn of more delays to come. Belarus maintained their remarkable medal charge, picking up two more titles including gold for Darya Domracheva, who is now the only woman to have won three biathlon titles at the same Games after her 12.5km mass start victory. Full Story | Top |
| Soccer-City one of the best teams in the world, says Barca coach Monday, Feb 17, 2014 12:24 PM PST By Mike Collett MANCHESTER, England, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Manchester City and Barcelona could easily have met in this season's Champions League final, Barca coach Gerardo Martino said on Monday when he described City as one of the "best teams in the world". Martino, speaking to reporters on the eve of the first leg of their Round of 16 tie at the Etihad Stadium, dismissed the suggestion that City were copying his club's model. "They may have a lot of Spanish players like (Alvaro) Negredo, David Silva, Jesus Navas and Javi Garcia but they have great players from all over the world like Yaya Toure from the Ivory Coast and Fernandinho from Brazil and the others." City striker and Martino's Argentine compatriot Sergio Aguero misses the first leg through injury but Manuel Pellegrini's side are still a major threat. Full Story | Top |
| Americans make history on ice, fog forces delays in mountains Monday, Feb 17, 2014 12:24 PM PST  By Mike Collett-White SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) - Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White skated into the history books at the Sochi Winter Olympics on Monday when they won the ice dance gold, but thick fog in the mountains forced organizers to postpone two events and warned of more delays to come. Belarus maintained their remarkable medal charge, picking up two more titles including gold for Darya Domracheva, who is now the only woman to have won three biathlon titles at the same Games after her 12.5km mass start victory. While their dazzling display thrilled the crowd packed into the Iceberg Skating Palace, spectators in the mountains were disappointed by the postponement of the men's biathlon 15km mass start and men's snowboard cross competitions until Tuesday. Safety was organizers' main concern after a series of injuries at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, as fog and drizzle replaced a week of uninterrupted sunshine in the Caucasus peaks high above Sochi. Full Story | Top |
| Netanyahu says Israeli high-tech stronger than boycotters Monday, Feb 17, 2014 12:21 PM PST  By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced confidence on Monday that world demand for Israeli high technology will enable his country to outflank pro-Palestinian groups advocating its economic boycott. And I think we have to fight them," Netanyahu said in a speech to a conference of U.S. Jewish leaders. He was referring to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, sponsored by pro-Palestinian intellectuals and bloggers, which campaigns for a blanket boycott of all Israeli goods and questions Israel's legitimacy. But Netanyahu, citing in particular Israel's cybersecurity industry, said the heads of international high-tech companies he has met "all want the same three things: Israeli technology, Israeli technology and Israeli technology". Full Story | Top |
| First biomarker could help boys at risk of major depression Monday, Feb 17, 2014 12:06 PM PST By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - British brain scientists have identified the first biomarker, or biological signpost, for clinical depression and say it could help find boys in particular who are at risk of developing the debilitating mental illness. In a study in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science (PNAS) journal, the team found that teenage boys who have a combination of depressive symptoms and raised levels of the stress hormone cortisol are up to 14 times more likely to develop major depression than those who show neither trait. "We're very bad about looking after our mental health, and yet the problems of mental health are extremely common," said Barbara Sahakian, a Cambridge University professor of Clinical neuropsychology who worked on the study. "(And) we now have a very real way of identifying those teenage boys most likely to develop clinical depression." He said armed with such knowledge, doctors and other carers could target prevention strategies at depression-vulnerable boys and "hopefully help reduce their risk of serious episodes of depression and their consequences in adult life". Full Story | Top |
| Transgender Italian held for second time in Sochi Monday, Feb 17, 2014 12:00 PM PST  Vladimir Luxuria said she was led away by two men in plain clothes on Sunday when she held up a sign saying "Gay is OK" in Russian in the Sochi Olympic Park and was held for about three hours. She was allowed into the Olympic Park again later on Monday but barred from watching an ice hockey match because she was wearing a rainbow headdress - the colors of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender movement - and had a gay pride flag. Luxuria said she was protesting against a law signed by President Vladimir Putin last year banning the spread of "gay propaganda" among minors. "I think it is important ...(to have) the opportunity to talk internationally about these things because otherwise these things happen in Russia and nobody knows, nobody cares," Luxuria said after stepping off the stage at a gay cabaret bar in Sochi. Full Story | Top |
| Olympics-Transgender Italian held for second time in Sochi Monday, Feb 17, 2014 11:57 AM PST * Former parliamentarian detained twice in 24 hours * Putin under fire abroad over "gay propaganda" law (Adds second detention) By Catherine Koppel SOCHI, Russia, Feb 17 (Reuters) - A transgender former member of Italy's parliament was detained by Russian police for the second time in 24 hours on Monday for trying to stage a gay rights protest at the Winter Olympics. Vladimir Luxuria said she was led away by two men in plain clothes on Sunday when she held up a sign saying "Gay is OK" in Russian in the Sochi Olympic Park and was held for about three hours. She was allowed into the Olympic Park again later on Monday but barred from watching an ice hockey match because she was wearing a rainbow headdress - the colours of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender movement - and had a gay pride flag. Luxuria said she was protesting against a law signed by President Vladimir Putin last year banning the spread of "gay propaganda" among minors. Full Story | Top |
| UK housing not overheating, rates not at lows forever - BoE's Miles Monday, Feb 17, 2014 11:56 AM PST  By Ana Nicolaci da Costa and Andy Bruce LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's housing market is not overheating but interest rates will not remain at record lows indefinitely, Bank of England policymaker David Miles said in an interview on Monday. Miles, a member of the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee, told Bloomberg Television the amount of slack in Britain's economy means there is no case for tightening monetary policy right now and that "overheating" was not a good word to describe the housing market. Concerns about the rapid rise of the housing market prompted the Bank to announce in November that it would scrap the part of its Funding-for-Lending Scheme that supports mortgage lending. Full Story | Top |
| Merkel meets Ukrainian opposition leaders in Berlin Monday, Feb 17, 2014 11:44 AM PST German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with two Ukrainian opposition leaders on Monday, in a sign of support, but did not appear to have given concrete backing to their pleas for immediate sanctions on President Viktor Yanukovich Ukraine has been hit by three months of unrest at perceived corruption in the Yanukovich administration, sparked by his decision not to pursue trade and other deals with the European Union. The Ukrainian opposition has been urging the EU to go beyond vocal support for its fight for more democracy. On Monday, it also pressed Yanukovich to accept curbs on his powers that would allow it to form an independent government to defuse the protests and save the economy from collapse. At a news conference in the German parliament, opposition leaders Vitaly Klitschko and Arseny Yatsenyuk said they were pleased with the talks with Merkel. Full Story | Top |
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