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| Obama, Romney take aim at key Midwestern swing states Friday, Nov 02, 2012 06:34 PM PDT  HILLIARD, Ohio (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney made late pitches in the political battlegrounds of the upper Midwest on Friday, a region likely to decide the winner in next week's closely fought election for the White House. In dueling campaign appearances in the swing states of Ohio and Wisconsin, the two contenders battled over the economy on a day when the government reported the jobless rate ticked up to 7.9 percent in October but that employers stepped up their hiring. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York cancels Sunday marathon in wake of deadly storm Friday, Nov 02, 2012 05:37 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg abruptly reversed course and canceled Sunday's marathon, a beloved annual race that had become a lightning rod for people frustrated by the disastrous aftermath of megastorm Sandy. The decision on Friday came after a growing number of storm victims, some runners, and other politicians criticized Bloomberg's decision earlier in the week to go forward with the marathon, one of the world's most popular sporting events. ... Full Story | Top |
| Anger grows over fuel shortage in storm-hit Northeast Friday, Nov 02, 2012 07:17 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tempers frayed in long gas lines and millions were still without electricity across the Northeast on Friday as the death toll from superstorm Sandy hit 102 and crews searched for more victims in devastated communities in New York and New Jersey. The U.S. government moved to ease the fuel crunch by tapping strategic reserves and buying millions of gallons of gasoline and diesel to be trucked to storm-damaged areas. With the U.S. presidential election four days away, television and newspaper images of angry storm victims could affect the campaign. ... Full Story | Top |
| Job growth quickens, giving Obama some relief Friday, Nov 02, 2012 12:50 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Employers stepped up hiring in October and a small increase in the jobless rate was due to more workers restarting their job hunts, a hopeful sign for a lackluster economy that has been a drag on President Barack Obama's re-election bid. Employers added 171,000 people to their payrolls last month, the Labor Department said on Friday. The government also said 84,000 more jobs were created in August and September than previously estimated. The jobless rate edged up a tenth of a point to 7.9 percent, but that was due to workers surging back into the labor force. ... Full Story | Top |
| Race even, but Obama holds slight edge in key states: Reuters/Ipsos poll Friday, Nov 02, 2012 12:23 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney are dead even on a national level but Obama holds a slight edge in three of the most hotly contested states in Tuesday's election, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday. Obama leads Romney among likely voters by a margin of 3 percentage points in Virginia and 2 percentage points in Ohio and Florida, the online tracking poll found. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. investigators to get access to Benghazi suspect Friday, Nov 02, 2012 05:10 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Authorities in Tunisia have agreed to allow FBI investigators access to a detained Islamic militant suspected of playing a role in the September 11 attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya, U.S. officials said on Friday. Under an arrangement worked out between Tunisian and U.S. officials, American investigators will be allowed to interview Ali Ani al Harzi under the supervision of Tunisian officials. The arrangement was first made public in a written statement issued on Friday by two Republican U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Europe still biggest headwind to global recovery: U.S. Friday, Nov 02, 2012 01:36 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Europe's financial crisis remains the biggest hurdle to global economic recovery and will be in focus at a meeting of world finance chiefs in Mexico City this weekend, a senior U.S. Treasury official said on Friday. "Recognizing that Europe remains the strongest headwind to global growth, there will be considerable interest among the G20 on the European crisis response," the official said. The comments contrast with those from some other members of the Group of 20 leading economies, who said the United States' own fiscal problems will loom largest at the G20 meetings. ... Full Story | Top |
| Wall Street ends storm-shortened week with a selloff Friday, Nov 02, 2012 01:33 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks ended an unusual storm-shortened trading week with a selloff on Friday, as major indexes erased early gains sparked by a stronger-than-expected payrolls report. Energy stocks were a drag on the market after Chevron Corp, the second-largest U.S. oil company, posted a profit that missed expectations. The stock fell 2.9 percent to $108.26 and was one of the biggest drags on the Dow industrials. The dollar's strength also hurt energy and materials shares. Eventually, all 10 S&P 500 sectors succumbed to selling pressure to end lower. For the week, the Dow shed 0. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria army quits base on strategic Aleppo road Friday, Nov 02, 2012 11:13 AM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army abandoned its last base near the northern town of Saraqeb after a fierce assault by rebels, further isolating the strategically important second city Aleppo from the capital. But in a political setback to forces battling to topple President Bashar al-Assad, the United Nations said the rebels appeared to have committed a war crime after seizing the base. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight: Scant evidence of voter suppression, fraud in states with ID laws Friday, Nov 02, 2012 08:04 AM PDT  ATLANTA (Reuters) - Democratic claims that a large number of Americans could be prevented from voting because of photo identification laws are probably overstated based on evidence from Georgia and Indiana, the two states where the laws have been in place for multiple elections, Reuters found. Data and numerous interviews by Reuters reporters also suggest there is little evidence to bolster Republican assertions that ID laws are needed to combat rampant voter fraud. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama, Romney take aim at key Midwestern swing states Friday, Nov 02, 2012 03:37 PM PDT HILLIARD, Ohio (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney made late pitches in the political battlegrounds of the upper Midwest on Friday, a region likely to decide the winner in next week's closely fought election for the White House. In dueling campaign appearances in the swing states of Ohio and Wisconsin, the two contenders battled over the economy on a day when the government reported the jobless rate ticked up to 7.9 percent in October but that employers stepped up their hiring. ... Full Story | Top |
| Anger grows over fuel shortage in storm-hit Northeast Friday, Nov 02, 2012 02:59 PM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Frustration grew on Friday for residents of Northeast states hit by superstorm Sandy as the death toll reached 102, millions were still without power and tempers frayed at a lack of fuel and guidance on when life might return to normal. New York City canceled its annual marathon in the face of rising criticism of a previous decision to go ahead with the race on Sunday as the search for bodies continued in devastated communities from New York's Staten Island to New Jersey seaside towns. Sandy, which brought a record storm surge to coastal areas, slammed into the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York City Marathon will be cancelled: city official Friday, Nov 02, 2012 03:39 PM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City canceled its annual marathon on Friday, reversing Mayor Michael Bloomberg's earlier decision to go forward with Sunday's race, as it had become a lightning rod for residents frustrated by the disastrous aftermath of megastorm Sandy. The decision came after a growing number of storm victims, some runners, and other politicians criticized Bloomberg's decision earlier in the week to go forward with the marathon, one of the world's most popular sporting events. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. renews sanctions, Sudan criticizes decision Friday, Nov 02, 2012 01:58 PM PDT WASHINGTON/KHARTOUM (Reuters) - President Barack Obama renewed U.S. sanctions on Sudan on Friday, acknowledging Khartoum had resolved disputes with South Sudan but warning that Darfur and other conflicts still impeded normal ties, the State Department said. Khartoum reacted by accusing the United States of "double standards". The order maintains several sets of U.S. sanctions imposed since 1997 that restrict U.S. trade and investment with Sudan and block the assets of the Sudanese government and certain officials. ... Full Story | Top |
| Romney asks voters: Want more of same or "real change" Friday, Nov 02, 2012 09:54 AM PDT  MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney offered his closing argument to voters on Friday, asking Americans to decide whether they want more of the same from President Barack Obama or "real change" by electing him on Tuesday. Making a last-minute foray into Wisconsin, a state Obama won in 2008 but that may be in play this year, Romney seized on a small uptick in the U.S. jobless rate, from 7.8 percent in September to 7.9 percent in October, as evidence that the president's policies are not providing a sufficiently speedy recovery. ... Full Story | Top |
| Microsoft vs Google trial raises concerns over secrecy Friday, Nov 02, 2012 11:18 AM PDT  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Two weeks before a high-stakes trial pitting Google's Motorola Mobility unit against Microsoft, Google made what has become a common request for a technology company fighting for billions of dollars: A public court proceeding, conducted largely in secret. Google and Microsoft, like rivals embroiled in smartphone patent wars, are eager to keep sensitive business information under wraps - in this case, the royalty deals they cut with other companies on patented technology. Microsoft asked for similar protections in a court filing late on Thursday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chevron profit down on reduced output, weak refining Friday, Nov 02, 2012 10:47 AM PDT  (Reuters) - Chevron Corp posted earnings on Friday that were much lower than expected as maintenance exacerbated a decline this year in oil and natural gas production, and shares of the second-largest U.S. oil company slid 2.5 percent. Third-quarter production fell to 2.52 million barrels of oil equivalent per day from 2.60 million bpd a year earlier. With a fourth-quarter bounce expected, Chevron expected 2012 production to average about 2.6 million bpd, or 97 percent of its original 2.68 million bpd target. ... Full Story | Top |
| In the Badger State, divided over and baffled by Obamacare Friday, Nov 02, 2012 04:58 AM PDT  BELOIT, Wisconsin (Reuters) - To Tim Givhan, Obamacare shouldn't be an excuse for election-year polemics: "It's a lifeline." A former IT specialist, Givhan tripped on a machine at work and landed on his head, suffering neurological damage. His employer's insurance company wouldn't pay for an operation, saying the outcome was iffy. Plagued by debilitating migraines and tremors, he quit work. His wife, an attorney, divorced him. Givhan, 49, has moved back to his mother's home in Beloit, Wisconsin. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Rothschild in talks to counter Bakrie break-up plan Friday, Nov 02, 2012 07:17 AM PDT  JAKARTA/LONDON (Reuters) - Financier Nat Rothschild is in talks with Indonesian investors, including a contender for the country's presidency, on a plan to counter a $1.4 billion proposal by the influential Bakrie family to dismantle coal mining group Bumi Plc, sources said. Rothschild set up Bumi with the Bakries two years ago, when the politically connected family injected Indonesian coal assets into a London investment shell created by the financier. ... Full Story | Top |
| RBS braced for fines to settle Libor probe Friday, Nov 02, 2012 06:51 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Bank of Scotland faces fines for its part in a global interest rate rigging scandal and wants to reach a settlement as soon as possible. U.S. and UK authorities are investigating the part-nationalized bank over how it set Libor and other interest rates and it is expected to be one of the next to settle after British rival Barclays was fined $450 million in June. RBS expects to start talks on a settlement soon, which is likely to result in financial penalties, the bank said on Friday as it published third quarter results. ... Full Story | Top |
| Romney: Jobless rate shows economy at "virtual standstill" Friday, Nov 02, 2012 09:11 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney said on Friday the uptick in the U.S. employment rate to 7.9 percent shows the economy continues to struggle. "Today's increase in the unemployment rate is a sad reminder that the economy is at a virtual standstill," said Romney, who has made his record as a successful businessman the focus of his campaign, arguing that he is better equipped than President Barack Obama to fix the sputtering economy. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian government forces quit town linking Aleppo to south: monitor Friday, Nov 02, 2012 05:43 AM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have withdrawn from their last base near the northern town of Saraqeb, further weakening his ability to fight rebels in the country's largest city Aleppo, a violence monitoring group said on Friday. Saraqeb straddles the junction of two main highways leading to Aleppo and the pullout will make it harder for government forces to reinforce or resupply Aleppo, where they have been battling with rebels for control since late July. ... Full Story | Top |
| China to promote rising star in Bo Xilai's old stomping ground: sources Friday, Nov 02, 2012 05:29 AM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - China is set to promote two rising stars and possible future national leaders at a Communist Party congress opening next week, one taking the old job of disgraced former high-flyer Bo Xilai in the country's biggest metropolis, sources said. Southwestern Chongqing, left reeling in the wake of a corruption and murder scandal, is expected to go to Sun Zhengcai, a former agriculture minister and current party boss of the chilly northeastern province of Jilin. ... Full Story | Top |
| Thomson Reuters operating profit down, trading pressured Friday, Nov 02, 2012 12:48 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Thomson Reuters Corp reported on Friday a 15 percent fall in operating profit because of declining revenue and higher costs at its division that serves the financial industry. The slip in profit in the third quarter underscored the problems facing some of Thomson Reuters' clients, such as banks and brokerages that are reducing staff and trimming costs to cope with increased regulation and the struggling global economy. ... Full Story | Top |
| NY mayor cites climate stance in endorsing Obama Friday, Nov 02, 2012 02:55 AM PDT  WASHINGTON, Nov 2 (Reuters Point Carbon) - Climate change was catapulted to the forefront of the U.S. general election on Thursday after New York's independent mayor threw his weight behind Democratic President Barack Obama, citing his stance on climate change. After refusing to endorse any presidential candidate in the last election in 2008, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a former Republican, endorsed the re-election of Obama because he believed he would adopt policies to tackle climate change and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney would not. ... Full Story | Top |
| Second stealth jet puts China on path to top regional power: expert Friday, Nov 02, 2012 12:23 AM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - China's second stealth fighter jet that was unveiled this week is part of a program to transform China into the top regional military power, an expert on Asian security said on Friday. The fighter, the J-31, made its maiden flight on Wednesday in the northeast province of Liaoning at a facility of the Shenyang Aircraft Corp which built it, according to Chinese media. ... Full Story | Top |
| Apple iPad mini draws New Yorkers; crowds thin elsewhere Friday, Nov 02, 2012 03:18 PM PDT  NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc's iPad mini hit stores around the world on Friday, attracting sparser crowds than previous Apple launches, but the kickoff still drew hundreds of New Yorkers only days after one of the biggest storms to hit the United States. A proliferation of rival gadgets aimed at the holidays and cheaper tablets from Google Inc and Amazon.com Inc may have sapped interest in Apple's latest bet, resulting in shorter lines outside stores from Tokyo and Amsterdam to Sydney and Hong Kong. The 7. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Jilted Africa cool to U.S. vote after Obama fever fades Friday, Nov 02, 2012 02:24 AM PDT  KOGELO, Kenya/JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - In the tiny Kenyan village of Kogelo, U.S. President Barack Obama's ancestral homeland, some people talk of hurt feelings of the kind experienced when a favorite relative has failed to get in touch. Four years ago, Kogelo, and Africa in general, celebrated with noisy gusto when Obama, whose father came from the scattered hamlet of tin-roofed homes, became the first African-American to be elected president of the United States. ... Full Story | Top |
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