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| Japan opposition LDP remains election favorite: poll Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 07:54 PM PST  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is holding its lead ahead of December 16 election, opinion polls showed on Monday, with the hawkish Japan Restoration Party (JRP) led by a nationalist former Tokyo governor coming second. The Yomiuri daily poll showed that 25 percent of voters would choose the LDP, which is calling for aggressive monetary steps to end deflation, well ahead of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's (DPJ) 10 percent support. ... Full Story | Top |
| Congo says no talks with rebels unless they quit Goma Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 07:24 PM PST  GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Congo said on Sunday it would not negotiate with M23 rebels in the east until they pulled out of the city of Goma, but a rebel spokesman said Kinshasa was in no position to set conditions on peace talks. Congolese President Joseph Kabila met with M23 for the first time on Saturday after an urgent summit in Uganda where regional leaders gave M23 two days to leave Goma, which the rebels seized six days ago after U.N.-backed government troops melted away. Eight months into a rebellion that U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian rebels take airbase in slow progress toward Damascus Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 07:22 PM PST  AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian rebels said on Sunday they had captured a helicopter base east of Damascus after an overnight assault, their latest gain in a costly battle to unseat President Bashar al-Assad that is drawing nearer to his seat of power. The Marj al-Sultan base, 15 km (10 miles) from the capital, is the second military facility on the outskirts of the city reported to have fallen to Assad's opponents this month. Activists said rebels had destroyed two helicopters and taken 15 prisoners. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Fiscal cliff" talks stalled but progress possible Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 07:08 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers have made little progress in the past 10 days toward a compromise to avoid the harsh tax increases and government spending cuts scheduled for January 1, a senior Democratic senator said on Sunday. The United States is on course to slash its budget deficit nearly in half next year. Closing the gap that quickly, which in Washington is referred to as going over a "fiscal cliff," could easily trigger a recession. "Unfortunately, for the last 10 days, with the House and Congress gone for the Thanksgiving recess ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Catalan election weakens bid for independence from Spain Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 06:06 PM PST  BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - Separatists in Spain's Catalonia won regional elections on Sunday but failed to get a resounding mandate for a referendum on independence, which had threatened to pile political uncertainty on top of Spain's economic woes. Catalan President Artur Mas, who has implemented unpopular spending cuts, had called an early election to test support for his new drive for independence for Catalonia, a wealthy but financially troubled region in northeastern Spain. ... Full Story | Top |
| China's princelings come of age in new leadership Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 06:02 PM PST BEIJING (Reuters) - In China they are known as "princelings" â€" the privileged children of the revolutionary founders of the People's Republic of China. And in the generational leadership change that just took place in Beijing, it could not have been clearer that having the right family bloodlines is among the most important attributes an ambitious cadre could possess. Of the seven men who now comprise the Communist Party's new politburo standing committee, the apex of political power in China, four are members of "the red aristocracy", led by the new general secretary of the party, Xi Jinping. ... Full Story | Top |
| Psoriasis patients look to Hong Kong government for help - and hope Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 06:00 PM PST HONG KONG (Reuters) - When Gary Lai first came down with the skin disease psoriasis, he got so tired of the stigma he faced in the outside world that he would lock himself away in his apartment whenever he didn't have to be at work. "When you have to apply ointment all over your body, it is impractical. It also has a smell and when you go to work, your colleagues will start asking questions," said Lai, who was 24 when he was diagnosed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bersani to face Renzi in runoff vote for Italy left leader Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 05:29 PM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Pier Luigi Bersani, head of Italy's Democratic Party, will face his main rival Matteo Renzi in a runoff next week to pick the center-left candidate to fight to succeed Mario Monti as prime minister following the first round of a primary vote on Sunday. With almost half the results counted, Bersani led with about 44 percent, ahead of Renzi, the youthful mayor of Florence, who was campaigning as a modernizer, at around 36 percent, according to party officials. ... Full Story | Top |
| Voters in tsunami-hit zone feel let down as Japan election nears Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 04:59 PM PST  IWAKI/KAMAISHI, Japan (Reuters) - Three weeks before Japan's first national election since the March 2011 earthquake, none of the contenders has managed to win the hearts, and votes, of those hardest-hit by the disaster - with many feeling let down by the entire political class. Volunteers and donations had poured in after the magnitude 9.0 quake off the northeast coast of Japan's main island Honshu unleashed a deadly tsunami that killed nearly 19,000 and triggered reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK may face deeper government spending cuts -IFS Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 04:11 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) -Chancellor George Osborne may have to announce more spending cuts and tear up one of his key austerity goals next month, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said on Monday, warning government borrowing was likely to rise this year. Osborne, who updates parliament with the latest official borrowing and growth forecasts on December 5, has struggled to keep his austerity targets on track because of the economic malaise. ... Full Story | Top |
| Separatists winning in Catalonia, Spain: early results Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 03:43 PM PST  BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - Four separatist parties in Spain's Catalonia looked set to win a majority in regional elections on Sunday, partial results showed, but the main one was on course to lose some seats, possibly undermining its bid to call an independence referendum. With half of votes counted, the ruling Convergence and Union alliance, or CiU, was winning 48 seats in the 135-seat local parliament, well down from its current 62 seats. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's Mursi to meet judges over power grab Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 03:14 PM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi will meet senior judges on Monday to try to ease a crisis over his seizure of new powers which has set off violent protests reminiscent of last year's revolution which brought him to power. Egypt's stock market plunged on Sunday in its first day open since Mursi issued a decree late on Thursday temporarily widening his powers and shielding his decisions from judicial review, drawing accusations he was behaving like a new dictator. ... Full Story | Top |
| International arbitration for tax disputes, "baseball" style Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 02:54 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States remains undefeated in the nearly two years since it began settling corporate tax disputes with Canada through a winner-takes-all process popularly known as "baseball arbitration." Tax lawyers and accountants in both countries said the U.S. Internal Revenue Service had won three of the binding decisions and Canada none. They said the IRS had collected a significant sum of money, possibly in excess of $100 million. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's Mursi to meet judicial council on decree Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 02:11 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi will meet members of the state's highest judicial authority, the Supreme Judicial Council, on Monday to discuss his decree shielding his decisions from judicial review, state media reported. (Reporting by Ali Abdelatti and Tom Perry; Writing by Yasmine Saleh; Editing by Alison Williams) Full Story | Top |
| One killed, 60 hurt in an attack on Egypt's Brotherhood office Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 02:11 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - A Muslim Brotherhood member was killed and 60 people were injured on Sunday in an attack on the main office of the Brotherhood in the Egyptian Nile Delta town of Damanhour, the website of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party said. "Brotherhood member, Islam Fathy Masoud, 15, was killed and 60 were injured after thugs attacked the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Damanhour in the total absence of police forces," the website said (Reporting by Ali ABdelatti, writing by Yasmine Saleh) Full Story | Top |
| Stray bullets from Syria hit Israeli border patrol vehicle: army Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 02:09 PM PST JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli military border patrol vehicle was hit by stray bullets fired from Syria in the Golan Heights on Sunday but there were no casualties, a military spokeswoman said. The incident was the latest apparent stray firing during gunbattles in Syria between the forces of President Bashar al-Assad and insurgents who have been fighting a 20-month-long civil war. "Gunfire hit a patrol vehicle along the border but caused no damage; a complaint was lodged with the United Nations which is investigating," the spokeswoman said. ... Full Story | Top |
| European lawmaker Strasser on trial for corruption Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 02:03 PM PST VIENNA (Reuters) - Disgraced Austrian politician Ernst Strasser goes on trial on Monday in a corruption case that has undermined trust in European and Austrian institutions. The former Austrian interior minister and European lawmaker could face 10 years in jail if convicted, after being caught on camera offering to propose amendments to European laws in exchange for 100,000 euros ($130,000 a year). Strasser, 56, was exposed last year by undercover journalists from Britain's Sunday Times posing as lobbyists. ... Full Story | Top |
| Air raid kills 10 children near Damascus: activists Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 01:47 PM PST AMMAN (Reuters) - A Syrian government air strike on a rebel-held village near Damascus killed 10 children on Sunday as they played outdoors, opposition activists said, and video footage showed residents collecting young bodies torn by shrapnel. The children went out after a lull in fighting in Deir al-Asafir, a village 12 km (8 miles) east of Damascus, when fighter jets struck, activists and residents said. Video footage taken by activists showed the bodies of two young girls, one wearing purple, the other red, on the street in the village, with wounds to their neck and head. ... Full Story | Top |
| Eight dead, human remains found in northern Mexico Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 01:43 PM PST MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican authorities discovered the bodies of eight men and the remains of others in the northern state of Chihuahua over the weekend, the local government said on Sunday. The eight victims, who were aged 30-35, were found by a road roughly 50 miles south of the city of Chihuahua. The victims had been tortured and shot in the head, a spokesman for the state government said. State prosecutors also found a grave containing the remains of men who died roughly two years ago in the desert area just south of the city of Ciudad Juarez, near the U.S. border. ... Full Story | Top |
| Revenge of the nerds as banks see risk, compliance hiring boom Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 01:42 PM PST SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Tough regulations aimed at banks have jolted demand for compliance, risk and legal officers, creating one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal job market for the financial industry. Traditionally one of the least glamorous jobs in the sector, these staff are in hot demand at a time when nearly all other parts of the banking industry are getting cut. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bersani leads after Italy center-left primary Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 01:42 PM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Pier Luigi Bersani, head of Italy's Democratic Party, led his main rival Matteo Renzi in a primary to pick the center-left candidate in next year's election, early counting indicated on Sunday, setting the stage for a final runoff vote next week. With almost a third of the vote counted, Bersani had about 44.6 percent, ahead of Renzi, the 37 year-old mayor of Florence, who was campaigning as a moderniser, on 36.5 percent, according to party officials. Nichi Vendola, the openly gay head of the left-wing Left, Ecology, Freedom party was in third place with 14. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: India's deficit-cutting plan faltering as clock ticks Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 01:39 PM PST  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's finance minister has banned government officials from holding conferences at five-star hotels, restricted travel and ordered a freeze on hiring to fill vacant posts. A single-minded political veteran who commands both fear and respect in Indian officialdom, P. Chidambaram is squeezing government ministries hard to cut spending wherever they can, and quickly, to help rein in a widening fiscal deficit. He is a man under pressure and with an eye on the clock. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Scandals and successes of China's princelings Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 01:19 PM PST (Reuters) - China's princelings, the children of the country's political elite, have often had a poor image with a string of scandals in the past three decades, including execution for hooliganism, defection and more recently murder and corruption. These young men and women were reviled by many in the 1980s for their privileges and enriching themselves as China opened up. But their image has improved in recent years as many of them have risen to political power. Some have championed egalitarianism, while others have vowed to fight widespread corruption. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Shadow of Roh" neck and neck with dictator's daughter before South Korea polls Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 01:11 PM PST  SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's December presidential election looks set to turn into a referendum on two of the country's most polarizing leaders as the daughter of military dictator Park Chung-hee faces off against a former aide to ex-President Roh Moo-hyun. Park's authoritarian rule propelled South Korea from poverty to the cusp of developed-nation status and ended when he was assassinated in 1979. ... Full Story | Top |
| Separatists lead Catalonia vote in Spain: partial result Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 12:43 PM PST BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - Four separatist parties in Spain's Catalonia looked set to win a majority in regional elections on Sunday, partial results showed, but the main one was on course to lose some seats, possibly undermining its bid to call an independence referendum. With a quarter of votes counted, the ruling Convergence and Union alliance, or CiU, was winning 47 seats in the 135-seat local parliament, well down from its current 62 seats. ... Full Story | Top |
| Serbia Democrats elect Belgrade mayor as new party leader Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 12:03 PM PST BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia's pro-Western Democratic Party elected mayor of Belgrade Dragan Djilas as its new leader on Sunday who pledged to reform the party following an election defeat in May. Addressing a party congress, 45-year-old Djilas said the Democrats had to take their share of responsibility for unemployment, now over 25 percent, double-digit inflation and a public debt seen at 60 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by the end of this year. "The fact is that we are responsible ... ... Full Story | Top |
| "Fiscal cliff" talks stalled for now but progress possible Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 11:36 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers have made little progress in the past 10 days toward a compromise to avoid the harsh tax increases and government spending cuts scheduled for January 1, a senior Democratic senator said on Sunday. The United States is on course to slash its budget deficit nearly in half next year. Closing the gap that quickly, which in Washington is referred to as going over a "fiscal cliff," could easily trigger a recession. "Unfortunately, for the last 10 days, with the House and Congress gone for the Thanksgiving recess ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Ruling CiU seen winning Catalonia vote, but losing seats Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 11:21 AM PST MADRID (Reuters) - The ruling Convergence and Union alliance, or CiU, is expected to get the most votes in regional elections in Spain's Catalonia on Sunday, according to an exit poll by TV3, Catalan public television. CiU, whose leader Artur Mas says he will call a referendum on Catalan independence from Spain, is seen winning 54-57 seats in the 135-seat regional assembly, or Parlament. That is down from the 62 seats it currently holds, and far from the absolute majority Mas had aimed for. The Republican Left, or ERC, would take second place, the exit poll showed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudan, China to set up agricultural free-trade zone Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 11:18 AM PST KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan has allowed China to set up a free-trade zone for agricultural products and livestock to boost bilateral transactions, state news agency SUNA said on Sunday, as the African country seeks to increase farm exports to offset the loss of oil. China is Sudan's main trading partner and donor for development projects, throwing a lifeline as few Western countries or firms deal with Khartoum because of a U.S. embargo over the country's human rights record. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel says successfully tests more powerful rocket interceptor Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 11:17 AM PST JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A new Israeli air shield against rockets more powerful than those intercepted by Iron Dome in the Gaza conflict passed its first field test last week after being rushed through development, officials said on Sunday. They said that David's Sling, billed as Israel's answer to the longer-range missiles of Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas and Syria, shot down a target rocket in a secret November 20 desert trial that coincided with fierce shelling exchanges between Israel and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. ... Full Story | Top |
| Former Liberian president Taylor should be a "free man": judge Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 10:17 AM PST  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Former Liberian President Charles Taylor should have walked free and not been jailed for war crimes because there was not enough evidence to prove he was guilty beyond reasonable doubt, a judge involved in his trial said in a magazine interview. Justice Malick Sow's criticism of how the trial was conducted and of the final decision-making process are likely to be seized on by Taylor's defence lawyers as part of his appeal. Taylor, 64, was the first head of state convicted by an international court since the trials of Nazis after World War Two. ... Full Story | Top |
| Eight policemen wounded in Russian prison protest Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 09:33 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Eight Russian policemen were injured trying to disperse a crowd outside a prison where 250 inmates staged a roof-top protest demanding the release of a group of fellow prisoners from a punishment cell, authorities said on Sunday. Russian state television showed pictures of a group of inmates standing on the roof of the prison holding white banners reading "people, help" in the town of Kopeysk near the industrial city of Chelyabinsk in the Urals mountains. ... Full Story | Top |
| McCain says U.N.'s Rice could change his mind over Benghazi Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 09:14 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator John McCain, a vocal opponent of Susan Rice's possible nomination as Secretary of State, said on Sunday that the U.N. ambassador could change his mind after she explained her statements on the attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi. "Sure. She can - I'd give everyone the benefit of explaining their position and the actions that they took," McCain said on the "Fox News Sunday" program when asked if Rice could reverse his opposition. "I'd be glad to have the opportunity to discuss these issues with her," he said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Experts say Ireland should clarify abortion laws Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 08:57 AM PST  DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland should allow limited access to abortion by clarifying the conditions under which women can terminate pregnancies, experts have concluded in a report that will fuel a debate which has split the country and led to tensions within the coalition. Abortion was banned in all circumstances in overwhelmingly Catholic Ireland by a 1983 constitutional amendment, but when the ban was challenged in 1992 by a 14-year-old rape victim, the Supreme Court ruled a termination was permitted when the woman's life was at risk, including from suicide. ... Full Story | Top |
| Defeated Sierra Leone opposition says election flawed Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 08:18 AM PST  FREETOWN (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's main opposition party on Saturday attacked the credibility of a poll that saw incumbent President Ernest Bai Koroma elected to a second term in an outright victory. The dispute risks tarnishing a vote deemed free and fair by observers and that many hope will help pave the way for an economic revival of the war-scarred West African nation. Koroma's main challenger Julius Maada Bio, a former military junta leader, said "systemic and widespread irregularities, malpractices and injustices ... undermined the credibility of the results. ... Full Story | Top |
| Little progress in "fiscal cliff" talks, senior lawmaker says Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 08:16 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers have made little progress in the last 10 days toward a compromise to avoid the harsh tax increases and government spending cuts scheduled for January 1, a senior Democratic senator said on Sunday. The United States is on course to slash its budget deficit nearly in half next year. Closing the gap that quickly, which in Washington is referred to as going over a "fiscal cliff," could easily trigger a recession. "Unfortunately, for the last 10 days, with the House and Congress gone for the Thanksgiving recess ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt presidency: Mursi decrees "temporary", wants talks Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 08:11 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - The Egyptian presidency said on Sunday it was committed to engaging "all political forces" to reach common ground on the constitution and stressed the "temporary nature" of a decree expanding President Mohamed Mursi's powers. "This declaration is deemed necessary in order to hold accountable those responsible for the corruption as well as other crimes during the previous regime and the transitional period," the presidency said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| No Greek debt writedown in next rescue package: ECB's Asmussen Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 08:05 AM PST  BERLIN (Reuters) - A write-down on Greek debt should not be part of the country's next rescue package, European Central Bank board member Joerg Asmussen told Germany's Bild newspaper ahead of Monday's euro zone group meeting. "We need a package of measures to close the financial gap that will include a substantial reduction of the interest rates and a debt buy-back by Greece," Asmussen said in an interview to appear on Monday. "A hair cut does not belong to that package. ... Full Story | Top |
| Suicide bombs kill 11 at military church in Nigeria Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 08:02 AM PST  KADUNA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Two suicide bombs killed at least 11 people on Sunday at a church in a barracks in northern Nigeria, where the Islamist sect Boko Haram is waging a campaign of violence, the military said. Army spokesman Bola Koleoso said a bus drove into the side of the St. Andrew Military Protestant Church at the Jaji barracks in Kaduna state and exploded at around 1105 GMT, five minutes after a service had started. Explosives inside a Toyota Camry were detonated outside the church ten minutes later, he said. The military said at least 30 were injured. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt decree should have limited use: judicial council Sunday, Nov 25, 2012 08:01 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's highest judicial authority said a decree issued by President Mohamed Mursi and which shields his decisions from judicial review must only be applied to decisions or laws relating to "sovereign matters". The Supreme Judicial Council in a statement read on state TV also called on judges to keep courts and prosecution offices functioning after the influential Judges' Club called on Saturday for a countrywide strike in protest at Mursi's decree. (Reporting by Cairo Bureau; Editing by Alison Williams) Full Story | Top |
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