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| Mursi due in Germany on visit shortened by Egypt crisis Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:18 PM PST  CAIRO/BERLIN (Reuters) - President Mohamed Mursi is to leave Egypt's political crisis behind on Wednesday with a short trip to Germany to seek urgently needed foreign investment and convince Europe of his democratic credentials. But with the Egyptian army chief warning on Tuesday that the state was on the brink of collapse after days of lethal street violence, Mursi cancelled plans to go on to Paris from Berlin and will instead hurry back to Cairo later in the day. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama pushes Congress on immigration, split emerges Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 08:06 PM PST  LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Just over a week into his second term, President Barack Obama took his fight for immigration reform to the West on Tuesday and pushed Congress to quickly find a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented residents. But as Obama praised a bipartisan immigration plan during a speech in Las Vegas, disagreement emerged between the White House and Republicans that underscored the difficulty of resolving an emotive issue that has long defied a legislative fix. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chesapeake CEO McClendon steps down after year of tumult Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 08:21 PM PST  (Reuters) - Chesapeake Energy Corp said on Tuesday that Aubrey McClendon will step down as chief executive after a tumultuous year in which a series of Reuters investigations triggered civil and criminal probes of the second-largest U.S. natural gas producer. News of the executive's plan to depart on April 1 boosted the company's shares by 9 percent. The stock has made a partial recovery since losing almost half its value last spring after a Reuters report opened the company and its co-founder up to intense scrutiny. ... Full Story | Top |
| Australian PM surprises with Sept election call Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 07:19 PM PST  CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard stunned voters on Wednesday by setting a national election for September 14, eight months away, in her first major political speech for 2013. Elections must be held in Australia by the end of the year, but Gillard said she wanted to end political uncertainty by setting the date now. "It is not right for Australians to be forced into a guessing game, and it's not right for Australians to not face this year with certainty and stability," Gillard said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Clinton says she doesn't see "getting back into politics" Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 05:52 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday cast doubt on speculation she might run for the White House in 2016. In an interview taped for National Public Radio, Clinton was asked what questions she needs to answer for herself as she decides whether to run for president. "I'm not even posing those questions. I am really looking forward to stepping off the fast track that I've been on. I've been out of politics as Secretary of State. I don't see myself getting back into politics," she said, according to an excerpt of the interview. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate approves Kerry as secretary of state Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:35 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - John Kerry's nomination as President Barack Obama's new secretary of state sailed through the Senate on Tuesday, as his fellow senators voted overwhelmingly to confirm him to replace Hillary Clinton as the country's top diplomat. The vote was 94-3 in favor. The two senators from Texas, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, and Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, all Republicans, were the only no votes. Kerry, the senior Democratic senator from Massachusetts, voted "present." Kerry's confirmation as the first new member of Obama's second-term national security team had been expected. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sixty-five people executed in Syria's Aleppo: activists Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:15 PM PST  BEIRUT (Reuters) - At least 65 people were found shot dead with their hands bound in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Tuesday in a "new massacre" in the near two-year revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, activists said. Opposition campaigners blamed the government but it was impossible to confirm who was responsible. Assad's forces and rebels have been battling in Syria's commercial hub since July and both have been accused of carrying out summary executions. U.N.-Arab League mediator Lakhdar Brahimi told the U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Amazon shares set record after strong quarterly profit Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 04:22 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc shares hit a record on Tuesday after it reported better-than-expected quarterly profit, fueled by the growth of higher-margin businesses during the fiercely competitive holiday quarter. The world's largest Internet retailer said that its cloud computing services, video content sales and its aggressive expansion in e-books helped increase profitability. ... Full Story | Top |
| Judge okays BP plea, $4 billion penalty in Gulf oil spill Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 12:57 PM PST  (Reuters) - A U.S. judge accepted an agreement by BP Plc to plead guilty for its role in the Deepwater Horizon disaster and pay a record $4 billion in criminal penalties for the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. The company said it pleaded guilty to 11 felony counts related to workers' deaths, a felony related to obstruction of Congress and two misdemeanors. It faces five years' probation and the imposition of two monitors who will oversee its safety and ethics for the next four years. After the April 2010 explosion on the Transocean rig in the Gulf of Mexico, 4. ... Full Story | Top |
| Apollo, Metropoulos near deal for Hostess Twinkies: sources Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 11:05 AM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Private equity firms Apollo Global Management LLC and C. Dean Metropoulos & Co are near a deal to buy snack cake brands including Hostess Twinkies and Donettes, two sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. A deal for roughly $400 million, part of Hostess Brands Inc's bankruptcy process, could be announced as soon as Tuesday, said one of the sources, who declined to be identified as the discussions are not public. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama pushes Congress on immigration, split emerges Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:46 PM PST LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Just over a week into his second term, President Barack Obama took his fight for immigration reform to the West on Tuesday and pushed Congress to quickly find a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented residents. But as Obama praised a bipartisan immigration plan during a speech in Las Vegas, disagreement emerged between the White House and Republicans that underscored the difficulty of resolving an emotive issue that has long defied a legislative fix. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mali secures recaptured towns, donors pledge funds Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 02:29 PM PST  DOUENTZA/GAO, Mali (Reuters) - French-backed Malian troops searched house-to-house in Gao and Timbuktu on Tuesday, uncovering arms and explosives abandoned by Islamist fighters, and France said it aimed to hand over longer-term security operations in Mali to an African force. An 18-day offensive in France's former West African colony has pushed the militants out of major towns and into desert and mountain hideouts to head off the risk of Mali being used as a springboard for jihadist attacks in the wider region or Europe. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea's Kim dashes early hope but U.S. still seeks change: Clinton Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 09:43 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea's missile tests and menacing rhetoric have disappointed U.S. expectations that young leader Kim Jong-un would be different than his father but Washington still hopes to persuade Pyongyang to change course, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday. "With a new young leader we all expected something different," Clinton said in a town hall-style session put together by the State Department and broadcast worldwide. "We expected him to focus on improving the lives of the North Korea people, not just the elite, but everyone. ... Full Story | Top |
| Home prices see best yearly gain since 2006 Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 10:55 AM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Home prices rose in November, climbing more than five percent from a year ago in the biggest increase since August 2006 when the housing market was starting to collapse. Data on consumer confidence on Tuesday was less encouraging, with moods falling to their lowest level in more than a year as Americans became more pessimistic about the economic outlook and their financial prospects in the wake of higher taxes for many. In a fresh sign the housing sector is on the mend, the S&P/Case Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas gained 0. ... Full Story | Top |
| Amazon shares set record after strong quarterly profit Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 02:26 PM PST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc shares hit a new record on Tuesday after it reported better-than-expected quarterly profit, fueled by the growth of higher-margin businesses during the fiercely competitive holiday quarter. The world's largest Internet retailer said that its cloud computing services, video content sales and its aggressive expansion in e-books helped increase profitability. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ford sees $2 billion loss, slumping sales in Europe Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 10:48 AM PST  DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co forecast a $2 billion loss in Europe this year, pointing to a punishing recession that could drive down industry sales in the region to a 20-year low. By contrast, Ford expects to make more money this year in North America, its most profitable region. But the No. 2 U.S. automaker also predicted 10-percent operating margins in North America, smaller than the 10.4 percent reported last year. The weak outlook overshadowed Ford's better-than-expected fourth-quarter results, and sent the company's shares tumbling as much as 6.5 percent. ... Full Story | Top |
| Transportation chief LaHood to step down Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 01:24 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said on Tuesday he planned to resign, marking the latest departure from President Barack Obama's Cabinet as the administration tries to find the root cause of safety problems with Boeing's Dreamliner plane. The Republican and former Illinois congressman brought a bipartisan element to the Democratic president's team, and his legislative skills helped Obama win approval of a new highway funding bill last year that had been stalled due to political bickering. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK ups offer for Mali, African anti-Islamist effort Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 04:32 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain on Tuesday boosted its offer of aid to help France fight Islamist rebels in Mali, and pledged troops to help other African governments in the region counter a rising tide of Islamist radicalism. Up to 240 British troops could be deployed as part of two missions to train African troops, 40 in Mali as part of a European Union mission, and a further 200 in anglophone West African countries, Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman said. At least 70 more British personnel could be involved in logistical and support missions. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sixty-five found executed in Syria's Aleppo: activists Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 06:18 AM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - At least 65 people, apparently shot in the head, were found dead with their hands bound in a district of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Tuesday, activists said. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which says it provides objective information about casualties on both sides of Syria's war from a network of monitors, said the death toll could rise as high as 80. It was not clear who had carried out the killings. ... Full Story | Top |
| Passenger plane crash kills 21 in Kazakhstan Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 05:29 AM PST  KYZYL TU, Kazakhstan (Reuters) - A passenger plane crashed in thick fog near Kazakhstan's commercial capital Almaty on Tuesday and broke into pieces when it hit the ground, killing all 21 people on board. After several hours, rescue teams recovered the plane's flight recorder, the central communications service for Kazakhstan's president said on its Twitter page. A list published by the prosecutor-general's office showed there had been 16 passengers and five crew members on board. The Canadian-built Bombardier Challenger CRJ-200 belonged to private Kazakh airline SCAT. ... Full Story | Top |
| CNN begins overhaul, top editor Whitaker leaves Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 12:30 PM PST (Reuters) - Cable news network CNN began to make long awaited changes on Tuesday, announcing the departure of its managing editor Mark Whitaker along with three political contributors. The moves come two months after Time Warner Inc-owned CNN tapped Jeff Zucker, the former CEO of NBC Universal, to be the news channel's worldwide chief. Zucker started his job in January and an overhaul of the network was expected under his watch. CNN has been struggling with poor ratings, with its prime-time numbers hitting historical lows last year, and losing out to both Fox News and MSNBC. ... Full Story | Top |
| Niger gives green light to U.S. drone deployment: source Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:06 AM PST  NIAMEY (Reuters) - Niger has given permission for U.S. surveillance drones to be stationed on its territory to improve intelligence on al Qaeda-linked Islamist fighters in northern Mali and the wider Sahara, a senior government source said. The U.S. ambassador to Niger, Bisa Williams, made the request at a meeting on Monday with President Mahamadou Issoufou, who immediately accepted it, the source said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Financial fears hit consumer confidence in January Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 07:34 AM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Consumer confidence dropped in January to its lowest level in more than a year as Americans were more pessimistic about the economic outlook and their financial prospects, according to a private sector report released on Tuesday. The Conference Board, an industry group, said its index of consumer attitudes fell to 58.6 from an upwardly revised 66.7 in December, falling short of economists' expectations for 64. It was the lowest level since November 2011. The index for December was originally reported as 65.1. At the start of the year, U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Japan PM says open to summit with China to help economic ties Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 04:22 AM PST  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Tuesday he was open to a meeting with Chinese leaders to rebuild ties damaged by a territorial dispute but said there was no room for negotiations on their row over a group of small islands. The remarks came after China's Communist Party chief, Xi Jinping, told a Japanese envoy sent to Beijing last week that he was committed to developing bilateral ties and would consider holding a summit meeting. ... Full Story | Top |
| Japan approves $1.02 trillion budget for 2013/14, borrowing at new highs Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 02:54 AM PST  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government approved on Tuesday a $1.02 trillion draft budget for the next fiscal year that aims to nudge tax revenues above new bond sales for the first time in four years, but still relies on borrowing to cover 46.3 percent of its spending. The first full-year draft budget compiled under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who led his Liberal Democratic Party back to power last month with promises of economic revival, marks symbolic improvement after years of deterioration. With the 92.6 trillion yen ($1. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian refugees top 700,000, U.N. struggling to cope Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 03:58 AM PST  GENEVA (Reuters) - More than 700,000 Syrian refugees have fled to other countries in the region and aid workers are struggling to keep up with the exodus, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The number of refugees passed the 500,000 mark on Dec 11, meaning more than 200,000 have fled the war-torn country in the past seven weeks. "We have seen an unrelenting flow of refugees across all borders. We are running double shifts to register people," Sybella Wilkes, spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told Reuters in Geneva. ... Full Story | Top |
| Suicide bomber kills two near Somali presidential palace Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013 02:16 AM PST MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A suicide bomber blew himself up near the Somali presidential palace on Tuesday, killing at least two soldiers in a strike apparently aimed at the country's leaders, a palace guard at the scene said. Officials working in the palace and guards said Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was abroad at the time of the blast and Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon Saaid, whose house was near the site of the explosion, was safe. ... Full Story | Top |
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