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| U.S. sanctions Putin allies as Ukraine violence goes on Monday, Apr 28, 2014 04:49 PM PDT  By Maria Tsvetkova and Thomas Grove DONETSK/SLAVIANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - The United States imposed new sanctions on allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, prompting Moscow to denounce "Cold War" tactics amid more violence in eastern Ukraine. The move to ban visas and freeze assets of the likes of Putin's friend Igor Sechin, head of oil giant Rosneft, also drew fire from President Barack Obama's domestic critics, who called it a "slap on the wrist." EU states added 15 more Russians and Ukrainians to their blacklist and will reveal them on Tuesday. The new round of U.S. sanctions, following those imposed last month when Russia annexed Crimea, barely registered in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Moscow rebels were holding a group of German and other OSCE military observers for a fourth day. Full Story | Top |
| 50 killed in bomb attack on rally, police and troops voting in Iraq Monday, Apr 28, 2014 12:02 PM PDT By Ahmed Rasheed and Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Fifty people were killed on Monday as suicide bombers attacked a political rally and Iraqi police and soldiers cast their votes early for a national election in two days' time, authorities and witnesses said. A suicide attacker killed at least 30 people and wounded 50 others at a Kurdish political gathering in the town of Khanaqin, 140 km (100 miles) northeast of Baghdad, security sources said. The Kurds were celebrating the television appearance of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd incapacitated since late 2012, who cast his vote in Germany where he was undergoing medical treatment. "The attacker snuck among the crowds near the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan's headquarters and blew himself up, causing a tragic massacre," one police officer said, sobbing after he discovered his brother was among those killed. Full Story | Top |
| North Korea to conduct firing drills near disputed sea border, says South Korea Monday, Apr 28, 2014 06:56 PM PDT  By James Pearson SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said it will conduct live fire drills on Tuesday in two areas near a disputed sea border with South Korea, the South Korean ministry of defense said on Tuesday. North Korea conducted similar drills in late March when it fired more than 500 artillery rounds near the Northern Limit Line (NLL), a disputed maritime border that has been the de facto sea border since the 1950-53 Korean war. More than 100 rounds landed south of the border, prompting South Korea to fire hundreds of rounds back into the North's waters. The Northern Limit Line is an extension of the land border between the two Koreas, stretching into the sea west of the Korean peninsula. Full Story | Top |
| Republican Representative Grimm of NY indicted on fraud charges Monday, Apr 28, 2014 04:47 PM PDT  By Bernard Vaughan and Aruna Viswanatha NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Representative Michael Grimm from New York was indicted on fraud charges in connection with a Manhattan fast-food restaurant he partly owned, according to court documents unsealed on Monday. The charges follow a federal probe of Grimm's fundraising that has been going on for more than two years, and Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch told reporters a "larger investigation" was ongoing. Grimm is a former Marine who subsequently worked as an FBI agent. In January, he generated headlines when he threatened to throw a television reporter off a balcony after an interview in the U.S. Capitol on the night of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. storms kills 21, tornado roars through Mississippi city Monday, Apr 28, 2014 07:26 PM PDT  By Robbie Ward TUPELO, Mississippi (Reuters) - On a second day of ferocious storms that have claimed at least 21 lives in the southern United States, a tornado tore through the Mississippi town of Tupelo on Monday causing widespread destruction to homes and businesses, according to witnesses and local emergency officials. At least one person was killed in Tupelo, a city of about 35,000 in the northeast of the state and the birthplace of Elvis Presley. Most of the deaths from the severe storm system occurred on Sunday when tornadoes tossed cars like toys in Arkansas and other states. Monday's twister in Tupelo, one of several to tear across Mississippi, damaged hundreds of homes and businesses, downed power lines and tore up trees, the National Weather Service said. Full Story | Top |
| Comcast in deal with Charter as it seeks approval for TWC Monday, Apr 28, 2014 10:54 AM PDT  Comcast Corp on Monday agreed to a three-way deal with Charter Communications Inc as part of Comcast's efforts to win regulatory approvals for its proposed $45 billion purchase of Time Warner Cable Inc. The transaction would make Charter, which lost out to Comcast in a bid to acquire Time Warner Cable, the second-largest cable provider in the United States. The agreement would leave Comcast with less than 30 percent of the U.S. residential cable or satellite TV market, a factor seen as a key step to pleasing regulators. Charter would have about 6 percent of the pay-TV market, with an eventual shot to climb to 9 percent. Under the deal, Charter would pay Comcast $7.3 billion for 1.4 million subscribers. Full Story | Top |
| Pfizer chases AstraZeneca for potential $100 billion deal Monday, Apr 28, 2014 12:06 PM PDT  By Ben Hirschler and Ransdell Pierson LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc approached Britain's AstraZeneca Plc two days ago to reignite a potential $100 billion takeover and was rebuffed, raising investor expectations it will have to increase its offer to close the deal. Pfizer said on Monday it proposed a takeover to AstraZeneca in January worth 58.8 billion pounds ($98.9 billion), or nearly 47 pounds per share. AstraZeneca shares were up 11.7 percent at $76.69 in New York on news of the latest offer, which would be the biggest foreign acquisition of a British company and one of the largest pharmaceutical deals. Pfizer shares were up 3.8 percent at $31.92 on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday afternoon. Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian court sentences top Muslim Brotherhood leader to death Monday, Apr 28, 2014 07:00 PM PDT  By Yasmine Saleh MINYA, Egypt (Reuters) - An Egyptian court sentenced the leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and 682 supporters to death on Monday, intensifying a crackdown on the movement that could trigger protests and political violence ahead of an election next month. The Brotherhood, in a statement issued in London, described the ruling as chilling and said it would "continue to use all peaceful means to end military rule". An Islamist alliance that includes the Brotherhood called on Egyptians to demonstrate against the death sentences in the streets of Cairo on Wednesday. In another case signaling growing intolerance of dissent by military-backed authorities, a pro-democracy movement that helped ignite the uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011 was banned by court order, judicial sources said. Full Story | Top |
| BofA suspends buyback, div increase after capital error Monday, Apr 28, 2014 02:59 PM PDT  Bank of America Corp said on Monday that regulators had suspended its plan to buy back more shares and raise its dividend after the bank realized it had miscalculated a measure of the capital on its books. The second-largest U.S. bank said fixing the mistake reduced a capital level by $4 billion, or about three-quarters of the extra money that the Federal Reserve had approved its returning to shareholders over the next year. The announcement illustrates how difficult it is to determine appropriate capital levels for the biggest banks, particularly under hypothetical stress situations that regulators consider. Bank of America now has to submit its request to return more capital to shareholders for a third time, and the Fed itself previously erred in projecting the bank's minimum capital ratios under a stressed scenario. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. pending home sales jump, end losing streak Monday, Apr 28, 2014 07:50 AM PDT  Contracts to buy previously owned U.S. homes rose in March for the first time in nine months, a sign the housing market could be stabilizing after suffering a setback from a rise in interest rates and a severe winter. The National Association of Realtors said on Monday its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed last month, increased 3.4 percent to 97.4. Sales stumbled last summer after that the U.S. Federal Reserve signaled it would soon reduce its economic stimulus efforts, pushing interest rates higher. "The stronger pending home sales report hints at resurgence in housing market momentum during the typically busier spring buying season," said Gennadiy Goldberg, a strategist at TD Securities. Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian court sentences top Muslim Brotherhood leader to death Monday, Apr 28, 2014 03:45 PM PDT  By Yasmine Saleh MINYA, Egypt (Reuters) - An Egyptian court sentenced the leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and 682 supporters to death on Monday, intensifying a crackdown on the movement that could trigger protests and political violence ahead of an election next month. The Brotherhood, in a statement issued in London, described the ruling as chilling and said it would "continue to use all peaceful means to end military rule". An Islamist alliance that includes the Brotherhood called on Egyptians to demonstrate against the death sentences in the streets of Cairo on Wednesday. In another case signaling growing intolerance of dissent by military-backed authorities, a pro-democracy movement that helped ignite the uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011 was banned by court order, judicial sources said. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. storm system that killed 16 causes tornado in Mississippi Monday, Apr 28, 2014 03:10 PM PDT By Colin Sims VILONIA, Arkansas (Reuters) - A ferocious storm system caused a twister in Mississippi and threatened tens of millions of people across the U.S. Southeast on Monday, a day after it spawned tornadoes that killed 16 people and tossed cars like toys in Arkansas and other states. A tornado went through Tupelo, Mississippi in the northern part of the state at about 3 p.m. (1800 GMT), damaging hundreds of homes, downing power lines and toppling trees, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant told CNN. Parts of Alabama, western Georgia and Tennessee also were at risk as the storm system that produced the series of tornadoes headed east toward the Mid-Atlantic states. Rescue workers, volunteers and victims have been sifting through the rubble in the hardest-hit state of Arkansas, looking for survivors in central Faulkner County where a tornado reduced homes to splinters, snapped power lines and mangled trees. Full Story | Top |
| France meets Alstom bidders with pledge to protect jobs Monday, Apr 28, 2014 01:54 PM PDT  By Natalie Huet and Benjamin Mallet PARIS (Reuters) - France said it would defend jobs and its national interest as it met suitors eyeing a breakup of engineering group Alstom on Monday and suggested it preferred Germany's Siemens over U.S. giant General Electric. President Francois Hollande held talks with GE boss Jeff Immelt on Monday morning and sat down later with Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser to discuss the fate of Alstom, the maker of the country's prestigious TGV high-speed trains and turbines for power plants. "We won't let Alstom sell this national champion behind the back of its shareholders, its employees and the French government," Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg wrote on his official Twitter account before the meetings started, accusing Alstom's CEO Patrick Kron of "a breach of national ethics". Alstom, which is battling with big debts and falling demand, was bailed out by the French government in 2004 but now needs help again. Full Story | Top |
| Obama hails security pact with Philippines, says no threat to China Monday, Apr 28, 2014 07:40 AM PDT  By Rosemarie Francisco and Mark Felsenthal MANILA (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said a new military pact signed with the Philippines on Monday granting a larger presence for U.S. forces would bolster the Southeast Asian country's maritime security, but was not aimed at countering China's growing military might. The agreement, which will have an initial 10-year term, was touted as the highlight of Obama's first visit to the Philippines, the United States' oldest ally in the region. It sets the framework for a beefed-up rotation of U.S. troops, ships and warplanes through the Philippines, part of a rebalancing of U.S. resources towards fast-growing Asia and the Pacific. Full Story | Top |
| Assad seeks re-election as Syrian civil war rages Monday, Apr 28, 2014 09:39 AM PDT  By Dominic Evans BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad declared on Monday he would seek re-election in June, defying calls from his opponents to step aside and allow a political solution to the country's devastating civil war. Assad formally submitted his nomination to Syria's constitutional court to stand in an election which his Western and Arab foes have dismissed as a parody of democracy. He is the seventh person to put himself forward for Syria's first multi-candidate presidential vote in decades, but none of his rivals are expected to mount a serious challenge to 44 years of Assad family rule. "I ... Dr Bashar Hafez al Assad ... wish to nominate myself for the post of president of the republic, hoping that parliament will endorse it," it said. Full Story | Top |
| Search for missing Malaysia plane enters new phase Sunday, Apr 27, 2014 11:39 PM PDT  By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - The chance of finding floating debris from a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner has become highly unlikely, and a new phase of the search will focus on a far larger area of the Indian Ocean floor, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Monday. The search effort for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which vanished while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 with 239 people on board, has so far failed to turn up any trace of wreckage from the plane. Malaysia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Britain and the United States are assisting Australia in conducting the most expensive search in aviation history. Malaysia is under pressure to bring closure to the grieving families by finding wreckage to determine definitively what happened to the aircraft. Full Story | Top |
| Rohingya health crisis in west Myanmar after aid groups forced out Monday, Apr 28, 2014 12:08 AM PDT  By Aubrey Belford KYEIN NI PYIN CAMP, Myanmar (Reuters) - As three-month-old Asoma Khatu approached her final, labored breaths, her neighbor Elia, a 50-year-old former farmer, dug through the strongbox holding some of the last medicines in this camp for Myanmar's displaced Rohingya. The death of Asoma in a dusty, stifling hot camp a two-hour boat ride from Sittwe, capital of Rakhine State in west Myanmar, is part of a growing health crisis for stateless Muslim Rohingya that has been exacerbated by restrictions on international aid. In February, Myanmar's government expelled the main aid group providing health to more than half a million Rohingya in Rakhine State - Medecins Sans Frontieres-Holland (MSF-H) - after the group said it had treated people believed to have been victims of violence in southern Maungdaw township, near the Bangladesh border, in January. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: War-ravaged Syria may face worst wheat harvest in 40 years Monday, Apr 28, 2014 12:26 AM PDT  By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Maha El Dahan AMMAN/ABU DHABI (Reuters) - War and drought have crippled Syria's wheat crop, with some experts now forecasting output of the staple food could fall to around a third of pre-war levels, and possibly even below 1 million metric tons ( 1 metric ton = 1.1023 tons) for the first time in 40 years. Agricultural experts, traders and Syrian farmers who talked to Reuters gave crop estimates ranging from one million metric tons to 1.7 million at best, a more pessimistic range than that given by the United Nations earlier this month. Before the war, Syria produced around 3.5 million metric tons of wheat on average, enough to satisfy local demand and usually permit substantial exports, thanks in part to irrigation from the Euphrates river that waters its vast eastern desert. The last time its wheat harvest failed to exceed 1 million metric tons was 1973, although catastrophic droughts have pushed the crop close to that level in 1989 and 2008. Full Story | Top |
| Nigeria: surging bloodshed strains 'marriage of irreconcilables' Monday, Apr 28, 2014 12:13 AM PDT  By Isaac Abrak, Tim Cocks and Pascal Fletcher UNGWAN GATA/ABUJA Nigeria (Reuters) - When Fulani raiders carrying rifles, machetes and clubs stormed his village one night last month, Pius Nna was stunned to see his teenage nephew among them. Sitting in a courtyard littered with rubble, Nna told how his sister's son, whose father is a Muslim Fulani, had led the raiders to burn down his farm in the attack on Ungwan Gata village, one of several mostly Christian Moro'a communities in Nigeria's central Middle Belt. Feuding over land and resources between rival communities in the Middle Belt has killed tens of thousands since independence from Britain in 1960. Fueled by ethnic and religious antagonisms, the violence has been compounded since 2009 in Africa's No. 1 oil producer by a spreading Islamist insurrection in the northeast, led by a group called Boko Haram. Full Story | Top |
| Thai opposition leader meets military head as crisis deepens Monday, Apr 28, 2014 07:18 AM PDT  By Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva met the head of the armed forces on Monday to discuss ways to avert a showdown between rival political factions next month that threatens more bloodshed and economic damage. Former Prime Minister Abhisit, who met Armed Forces Supreme Commander General Thanasak Patimaprakorn, has asked for two weeks to try to resolve the crisis peacefully. "The commander underscored that political problems must be solved through political means." Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has faced months of anti-government protests aimed at removing her and ridding the country of the influence of her brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Full Story | Top |
| China party mouthpiece says no Internet freedom without order, as U.S. TV shows pulled Monday, Apr 28, 2014 03:21 AM PDT  By Michael Martina and Paul Carsten BEIJING (Reuters) - There can be no Internet freedom without order, China's top Communist Party newspaper said on Monday after several U.S. television shows were pulled from Chinese video sites, the latest signs of Beijing's tightening grip on online content. The removal of the shows coincides with a broad crackdown on online freedom of expression that has intensified since President Xi Jinping came to power last year and drawn criticism from rights advocates at home and abroad. Authorities last week also stepped up their battle against pornography, revoking some online publication licenses of one of China's largest Internet firms, Sina Corp, for allowing "lewd and pornographic" content. It was published under the pen name "Zhong Sheng", meaning "Voice of China", often used to give views on foreign policy. Full Story | Top |
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