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| Nicaragua's Ortega expects Colombia to respect border ruling Friday, Nov 23, 2012 07:36 PM PST  (Reuters) - Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega expressed confidence on Friday that Colombia would recognize an international court ruling this week that grants Nicaragua jurisdiction over resources-rich Caribbean waters near a Colombian archipelago. Ortega did not mention Bogota's announcement on Wednesday that it would keep navy ships in the disputed waters until the International Court of Justice rules on a possible appeal from the country. ... Full Story | Top |
| Middle East nuclear talks will not occur next month: U.S. Friday, Nov 23, 2012 07:07 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Talks planned for next month on banning nuclear weapons in the Middle East will not take place, the United States said on Friday, a development likely to anger Arab states but please Israel. The State Department announced that the mid-December conference on creating a zone free of weapons of mass destruction, or WMD, would not occur and did not make clear when, or whether, it would take place. Earlier this month, diplomats told Reuters that the talks were likely to be postponed, rather than canceled outright. "As a co-sponsor of the proposed conference ... ... Full Story | Top |
| Argentine bondholders fear U.S. court ruling could trigger default Friday, Nov 23, 2012 06:27 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors holding $1 billion worth of restructured Argentine debt say they are preparing to appeal a U.S. court ruling that they fear would trigger another default and prevent them from being paid principal and interest due on their bonds next month. U.S. District Judge Thomas Griesa ordered late on Wednesday that Argentina immediately pay a separate group of holdout investors who rejected two debt restructuring offers the $1.33 billion in judgments they have won in court, a stinging blow to the country's efforts to overcome a 2002 debt crisis. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chambliss latest Republican to break with anti-tax lobbyist Friday, Nov 23, 2012 05:46 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Saxby Chambliss this week became the latest Republican lawmaker to loosen his ties to Grover Norquist, the anti-tax lobbyist famous for getting elected officials to sign a "taxpayer protection pledge." The rebellion, albeit a modest one, comes as Republicans prepare to negotiate with Democrats and President Barack Obama on a deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff - some $600 billion in tax increases and spending cuts set to start jolting the economy at the beginning of 2013. ... Full Story | Top |
| Argentina's options shrink after U.S. debt ruling Friday, Nov 23, 2012 04:14 PM PST  BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - A decade after staging the biggest sovereign default in history, Argentina faces another possible debt crisis after a U.S. court ordered it to pay $1.3 billion to holders of defaulted bonds. About 93 percent of Argentine bondholders agreed in 2005 and 2010 to swap defaulted debt from the 2002 default for new paper at a steep discount. So-called "holdout" creditors who rejected the swaps continue to battle for full repayment in international courts. In a ruling late on Wednesday, U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mexico arrests suspected murderer on FBI most wanted list Friday, Nov 23, 2012 03:49 PM PST MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican federal police have captured suspected murderer, rapist and drug gang member Joe Luis Saenz, one of the 10 most wanted fugitives on the FBI's list, the government said on Friday. Saenz, a U.S. citizen, was arrested in the city of Guadalajara in western Mexico on Thursday following an investigation carried out by the federal police in conjunction with the FBI, the government said in a statement. According to the FBI, Saenz is suspected of shooting and killing two rival gang members in Los Angeles in July 1998. For the FBI's most wanted list, see: www.fbi. ... Full Story | Top |
| Violence in cities; Mubarak deja vu? Friday, Nov 23, 2012 03:01 PM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - Angry youths hurled rocks at security forces and burned a police truck as thousands gathered in central Cairo to protest at Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi's decision to grab sweeping new powers. Police fired tear gas near Tahrir Square, heart of the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak at the height of the Arab Spring. Thousands demanded that Mursi should quit and accused him of launching a "coup". There were also violent protests in Alexandria, Port Said and Suez. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Israel wins U.S. support on Gaza but differences remain Friday, Nov 23, 2012 02:52 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As conflict erupted in Gaza last week, Israel's officials and supporters embarked on what proved a successful diplomatic and media campaign to ensure the United States remained right behind them. Israel's ambassador to Washington Michael Oren became a regular fixture on cable news channels and talk shows. Pro-Israel lobby groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the Israel Project bombarded journalists with e-mails offering footage of Hamas rocket strikes and interviews with ordinary Israelis in the line of fire. ... Full Story | Top |
| Allies help UK's Cameron prevail in EU showdown Friday, Nov 23, 2012 02:50 PM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron gained allies in his fight against EU spending rises on Friday to avoid having to wield a solitary veto that would have further isolated Britain and fuelled questions about its future in the 27-nation bloc. The collapse of talks in Brussels to agree a 1-trillion-euro ($1.30 trillion) budget also meant Cameron for now will avoid having to present a deal to a fractious parliament that defeated him last month in a vote calling for European Union spending cuts. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU budget summit ends without deal, retry in 2013 Friday, Nov 23, 2012 02:50 PM PST  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders failed to reach agreement on Friday on a new seven-year budget for their troubled bloc, calling off talks in less than two days after most countries balked at far deeper spending cuts demanded by Britain and its allies. European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said they decided to end a special summit on the 2014-2020 EU budget, worth about 1 trillion euros, and would try again early next year rather than continue negotiating into the weekend. ... Full Story | Top |
| Saudi reforms detour through Vienna faith center Friday, Nov 23, 2012 02:23 PM PST  VIENNA (Reuters) - The road to reform in Saudi Arabia is long and winding. In the rigidly restricted field of religion, the path is so circuitous that part of it even runs through traditionally Catholic countries like Austria and Spain. Next Monday, a pioneering Saudi-backed center for worldwide interfaith dialogue will open in a baroque palace on Vienna's elegant Ringstrasse boulevard. Riyadh paid for the building and will foot the centre's budget for the first three years. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sierra Leone's Koroma promises growth in new term Friday, Nov 23, 2012 02:08 PM PST  FREETOWN (Reuters) - Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma was sworn in for a second term on Friday after winning elections, promising to boost foreign investment and crack down on corruption in the war-scarred nation. Koroma took 58.7 percent of the ballots in a November 17 poll, just above the 55 percent he needed to avoid a run-off, election officials announced. His main rival, Julius Maada Bio, a 48-year-old retired army brigadier, took 37.4 percent. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boxer Hector "Macho" Camacho remains on life support Friday, Nov 23, 2012 01:49 PM PST  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - Relatives of Hector "Macho" Camacho, who has been declared brain dead after being shot in the face, are still hoping for a miracle and said they would not remove the three-time world boxing champion from life support. Doctors at the Rio Piedras Medical Center in San Juan declared Camacho, 50, brain dead on Thursday, two days after he was struck in a drive-by shooting. "Macho is a fighter, and he's going to keep fighting until the last bell," his son Hector "Machito" Camacho told reporters on Friday after visiting his father. "He's still alive. ... Full Story | Top |
| UPDATE 1-U.S. boxer Hector 'Macho' Camacho remains on life support Friday, Nov 23, 2012 01:43 PM PST (Adds quotes from Camacho's son) SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Relatives of Hector "Macho" Camacho, who has been declared brain dead after being shot in the face, are still hoping for a miracle and said they would not remove the three-time world boxing champion from life support. Doctors at the Rio Piedras Medical Center in San Juan declared Camacho, 50, brain dead on Thursday, two days after he was struck in a drive-by shooting. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. has concerns about Egyptian president Mursi's moves Friday, Nov 23, 2012 01:25 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is concerned about Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi's decision to assume sweeping powers, the U.S. State Department said on Friday. Mursi on Thursday issued a decree that puts his decisions above legal challenge until a new parliament is elected, causing angry protests by his opponents and violent clashes in central Cairo and other cities on Friday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Congo rebels push on after repelling counter-attack Friday, Nov 23, 2012 12:59 PM PST  SAKE/GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Rebels advanced in eastern Congo on Friday, seeking to strengthen their grip before a regional summit intended to damp down the insurgency in an area long plagued by ethnic and political conflict. Fighters from the M23 group, who are widely thought to be backed by neighboring Rwanda, pushed south along Lake Kivu near the new rebel stronghold of Goma on the Rwandan border. In the capital Kinshasa, protesters accused the rebels of abuses including the rape of pregnant women while the United Nations reported killings of civilians and ... Full Story | Top |
| S&P downgrades maverick Hungary on weak growth Friday, Nov 23, 2012 12:50 PM PST BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's on Friday cut Hungary's long-term credit rating, already in junk territory, by one notch to BB, saying its government's unpredictable policies could hurt medium-term growth. The move came almost a year after S&P slashed Hungary to below investment grade on similar grounds and could hit the forint currency and Hungarian bonds when markets reopen on Monday, analysts said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Alberta, Quebec to study rerouting Canadian crude eastward Friday, Nov 23, 2012 12:15 PM PST HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (Reuters) - Alberta, Canada's oil-producing heartland, and Quebec's separatist government will study the benefits of shipping the western province's crude to refineries in Quebec, a shift that could help cut the industry's dependence on the U.S. market. The development is a shift from previous comments by Quebec officials that had cast doubt on the energy industry's quickly evolving plans to get oil sands-derived crude to Eastern Canadian refineries, which now handle mostly imported oil that arrives at a much higher price. ... Full Story | Top |
| Wal-Mart India unit suspends CFO, others pending probe Friday, Nov 23, 2012 12:02 PM PST  MUMBAI (Reuters) - The Indian joint venture of Wal-Mart Stores Inc has suspended its chief financial officer and other employees as it investigates alleged violations of U.S. anti-bribery laws, a development that could hamper India's efforts to open its domestic supermarket sector to foreign investment. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, said last week it has opened internal inquiries or investigations into bribery allegations in a number of countries including Brazil, China and India, which follows an earlier probe in Mexico. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sarkozy judge mistook hostage for billionaire: lawyer Friday, Nov 23, 2012 11:50 AM PST  PARIS (Reuters) - A judge investigating Nicolas Sarkozy's campaign funding mistook a Colombian hostage for a billionaire backer of France's right-wing party when he queried a meeting in the ex-president's diary, a lawyer for Sarkozy said. Sarkozy, who lost power in May, was questioned for 12 hours on Thursday by a judge who is trying to establish whether his election win in 2007 was aided by illegal funding from France's richest woman, 90-year-old Liliane Bettencourt. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria says Turkey's bid for NATO missiles "provocative" Friday, Nov 23, 2012 11:06 AM PST  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria on Friday condemned Turkey's request for NATO to deploy Patriot defense missiles near their common border, calling it "provocative", after a spate of clashes there that has raised fear of the Syrian civil war embroiling the wider region. The 20-month-old uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has turned increasingly bloody and heavy fighting has often erupted right along Syria's northern border with Turkey. Ankara has repeatedly scrambled fighter jets and responded in kind to stray shells and mortars flying into its territory. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK government reaches compromise on renewable subsidies Friday, Nov 23, 2012 10:59 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will triple subsidies for low-carbon power generation by 2020 after its coalition government this week forged a compromise over how to fund wind farms without harming the future of gas-fired power. The compromise became possible after the government agreed to postpone until 2016 setting a target for decarbonization, which was opposed by many members of Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party. The target is the extent to which carbon emissions are to be reduced by 2030. ... Full Story | Top |
| British government reaches compromise on renewable subsidies Friday, Nov 23, 2012 10:55 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will triple subsidies for low-carbon power generation by 2020 after its coalition government this week forged a compromise over how to fund wind farms without harming the future of gas-fired power. The compromise became possible after the government agreed to postpone until 2016 setting a target for decarbonisation, which was opposed by many members of Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party. The target is the extent to which carbon emissions are to be reduced by 2030. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian lawmakers introduce law on "foreign agent" media Friday, Nov 23, 2012 10:36 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian lawmakers introduced a bill to the state Duma, or lower house of parliament, on Friday which would force foreign-funded media to register as 'foreign agents', adding to a raft of bills that critics say is aimed at cracking down on dissent. The law would complement another piece of legislation that forces non-government organizations that engage in "political activities" and receive money from abroad to register themselves using the same term, which is steeped in Cold-War era hostility. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy center-left leads in latest opinion poll Friday, Nov 23, 2012 10:30 AM PST ROME (Reuters) - Italy's center-left Democratic Party holds a steady lead, ahead of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's deeply divided People of Freedom party, an opinion poll released on Friday showed. The most recent entrant, the centrist Italia Futura movement, scored just under 5 percent, according to the survey by pollsters SWG. The movement, headed by Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, chairman of sports-car maker Ferrari, backs the agenda of Prime Minister Mario Monti. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy Monti declines comment on running for election Friday, Nov 23, 2012 10:30 AM PST  ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti declined to comment on Friday when asked for his reaction to remarks from President Giorgio Napolitano who said that Monti could not stand as a candidate in next year's parliamentary election. "I have no comment to make," he said at a news conference after a European Council meeting in Brussels. Napolitano said on Thursday that Monti's status as Senator for Life meant he could not run for parliament, dampening growing speculation that the former European Commissioner could join a centrist force to contest the election, expected in March. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sweden's rich and poor tussle over tutor tax breaks Friday, Nov 23, 2012 10:29 AM PST STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish government plan to offer tax breaks to parents who hire tutors for their children has sparked fresh fears about rising class divisions in the traditionally egalitarian nation. Though the country is home to the Swedish model of high taxes and generous welfare, data from the OECD club of wealthy nations has shown inequalities rising. The center-right government of Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has over six years chipped away at the social welfare system and rolled out wide tax rebates. ... Full Story | Top |
| Steinbrueck says SPD-Greens ahead of Merkel bloc before vote Friday, Nov 23, 2012 09:41 AM PST  BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's center-left opposition is closer to winning a majority in next September's election than Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right alliance, Social Democrat (SPD) chancellor candidate Peer Steinbrueck said on Friday. In a fiery speech to SPD leaders, Steinbrueck acknowledged having initial problems in his campaign to oust Merkel's government but pointed out that the SPD and their allies, the Greens, had moved ahead of Merkel's coalition in the polls. ... Full Story | Top |
| Supreme Court to consider workplace harassment rules Friday, Nov 23, 2012 09:41 AM PST  (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Monday will hear arguments in a case that could determine when a company is liable for harassment by its employees. The case turns on the definition of a single word - "supervisor" - under a federal civil rights law that prohibits racial, religious or sexual harassment in the workplace. Under previous Supreme Court rulings, an employer is automatically responsible if a supervisor harasses a subordinate. The employer is not liable if the harassment is between two equal coworkers, unless it was negligent in allowing the abuse. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: With eye on Iran, Gaza conflict reassures Netanyahu Friday, Nov 23, 2012 09:37 AM PST  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Both on the diplomatic and military front, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will draw some comfort from his offensive against Gaza as he switches his gaze once more to his main strategic challenge -- Iran. Israel views Iran's nuclear program as an existential threat in a totally different league to the problems posed by the Islamist group Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu fears a nuclear-armed Iran could one day eradicate Israel and has promised that Tehran will not get the bomb should he win a third term in office in elections on January 22. ... Full Story | Top |
| Debate rages over Sudan's Bashir after "plot" arrests Friday, Nov 23, 2012 09:26 AM PST  KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's information minister had one clear message after security agents moved in to arrest their former spy chief - that a plot had been uncovered, the culprits caught and the situation in the country was now "totally stable". Khartoum did appear quiet a day later on Friday - but on the desert city's dusty streets the detention amplified a debate about the future of the country's leader, and posed new questions about who might one day unseat him. ... Full Story | Top |
| Science fund cuts could hurt EU recovery, scientists warn Friday, Nov 23, 2012 09:10 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Cutting science funding in the European Union would threaten economic recovery in the bloc, the heads of scientific organisations said on Friday after such cuts were proposed. "We believe it would be deeply damaging to future economic growth if we were to cut funding now," Andrew Harrison, director general of Grenoble-based neutron research centre the Institut Laue-Langevin, told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pussy Riot protester alone in cell after inmate tension Friday, Nov 23, 2012 09:02 AM PST  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Jailed Pussy Riot punk protester Maria Alyokhina has been moved to a single-person cell for her own protection because of tension with other prisoners, her lawyer and Russia's federal penitentiary service said on Friday. Alyokhina, 24, is serving a two-year sentence for a raucous protest against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow's main Russian Orthodox cathedral. Activists said her trial, and that of two band mates, was part of a crackdown on dissent. ... Full Story | Top |
| Former Russian Defence Ministry official charged with fraud Friday, Nov 23, 2012 09:01 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - A former bureaucrat was charged with fraud on Friday in a $100 million embezzlement case that has cost the defense minister his job and shone a spotlight on corruption in President Vladimir Putin's administration. Yevgeniya Vasilyeva, who had valuable paintings, rare antiques and more than 100 expensive rings seized in an early morning raid on her central Moscow apartment last month, was charged with large-scale fraud. ... Full Story | Top |
| Polish PM: EU budget will spare cohesion, farm spending Friday, Nov 23, 2012 08:59 AM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday all European Union members agreed there will be no further cuts to cohesion and agricultural spending in a new draft long-term EU budget to be presented next year. "All without exception have agreed that changes in Van Rompuy's proposals, that is, the project to be presented next year, will not cut funds for cohesion and the Common Agricultural Policy," Tusk told a press briefing. Earlier on Thursday EU leaders failed to reach agreement on a new seven-year budget for the bloc. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ireland opens new probe into death of woman denied abortion Friday, Nov 23, 2012 08:54 AM PST  DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland has opened a new investigation into the death of a woman denied an abortion of her dying fetus, as the government scrambled to stem criticism of its handling of an incident that polarized the overwhelmingly Catholic country. ... Full Story | Top |
| Van Rompuy: further EU budget cuts could be considered Friday, Nov 23, 2012 08:36 AM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders failed to reach agreement on a new seven-year budget for their troubled bloc, calling off talks in less than two days after most countries rejected deeper spending cuts demanded by Britain and its allies. (Brussels newsroom) Full Story | Top |
| Merkel: sees potential for EU budget deal at start of 2013 Friday, Nov 23, 2012 08:36 AM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders failed to reach agreement on a new seven-year budget for their troubled bloc, calling off talks in less than two days after most countries rejected deeper spending cuts demanded by Britain and its allies. (Brussels newsroom) Full Story | Top |
| Leaders' comments from EU budget negotiations Friday, Nov 23, 2012 08:36 AM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders failed to reach agreement on a new seven-year budget for their troubled bloc, calling off talks in less than two days after most countries rejected deeper spending cuts demanded by Britain and its allies. European Council President Herman Van Rompuy decided to end a summit on the 2014-2020 EU budget, worth about 1 trillion euros, and try again early next year rather than continue negotiating into the weekend. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK's Cameron: EU budget proposal was not good enough Friday, Nov 23, 2012 08:36 AM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders failed to reach agreement on a new seven-year budget for their troubled bloc, calling off talks in less than two days after most countries rejected deeper spending cuts demanded by Britain and its allies. (Brussels newsroom) Full Story | Top |
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