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| Republicans assail Pentagon nominee Hagel at confirmation hearing Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 06:29 PM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers attacked Chuck Hagel on Thursday at a contentious hearing over his nomination to become the next U.S. defense secretary, questioning his judgment on war strategy and putting him broadly on the defensive. In one of the most heated exchanges, Senator John McCain aggressively questioned Hagel, interrupting him and talking over him at times. He voiced frustration at the former Republican senator's failure to say plainly whether he was right or wrong to oppose the 2007 "surge" of U.S. troops in Iraq. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria protests over Israel attack, warns of "surprise" Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 11:13 AM PST  BEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) - Syria protested to the United Nations on Thursday over an Israeli air strike on its territory and warned of a possible "surprise" response. The foreign ministry summoned the head of the U.N. force in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to deliver the protest a day after Israel hit what Syria said was a military research centre and diplomats said was a weapons convoy heading for Lebanon. ... Full Story | Top |
| Explosion at Mexican oil giant Pemex offices kills 14 Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 06:48 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A powerful explosion rocked the Mexico City headquarters of state-owned oil giant Pemex on Thursday, killing at least 14 people, injuring 100 and trapping others inside. The blast battered the lower floors of the downtown tower, throwing debris into the streets and sending frightened workers running outside. It was not yet clear what caused the explosion, the latest in a series of safety problems to hit Mexico's national oil monopoly. Media reports said the incident occurred when machinery apparently exploded. ... Full Story | Top |
| Defiant Iran plans to speed up nuclear fuel work Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 12:12 PM PST  VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran has announced plans to install and operate advanced uranium enrichment machines, in what would be a technological leap allowing it to significantly speed up activity the West fears could be put to developing a nuclear weapon. In a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Tehran said it would introduce new centrifuges to its main enrichment plant near the central town of Natanz, according to an IAEA communication to member states seen by Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. skeptical about Argentina-Iran "truth commission" Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 07:28 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday voiced doubt that Argentina and Iran's planned "truth commission" would bring to justice those responsible for the deadly 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish community center. Argentine courts have said Iran was behind the attack on the Jewish center, which killed 85 people. The commission agreement, announced over the weekend but subject to the approval of Argentina's Congress, outlines plans for Argentine officials to interview suspects in Iran rather than in a third country, as originally proposed by Argentina. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombia rebels free oil workers, 11 killed in combat Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 04:35 PM PST BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's FARC rebels on Thursday freed three kidnapped oil contractors, but six guerrillas and five government soldiers were killed across the country as peace talks continued abroad. The kidnappings and other violence came days after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, made clear during peace negotiations in Cuba that it would continue to capture armed forces, possibly hampering the talks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Teenage student wounded in Atlanta school shooting Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:58 PM PST  ATLANTA (Reuters) - A 14-year-old student was wounded on Thursday in a shooting outside a middle school in Atlanta and police said another student was arrested in the latest outbreak of gun violence in a U.S. school. The afternoon shooting occurred outside Price Middle School in Atlanta, Georgia. Neither the wounded student nor the suspected shooter were identified by authorities. Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Erroll Davis and Police Chief George Turner said at a news conference that multiple gunshots were fired from a small-caliber handgun outside the main school building. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt opposition to protest after deadly week Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:26 PM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - Opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi have called mass demonstrations on Friday, raising the prospect of more bloodshed despite a pledge by politicians to back off after the deadliest week of his seven months in office. Protests marking the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak have killed nearly 60 people since January 25. It prompted the head of the army - the institution that effectively ran Egypt for six decades until Mursi's election - to warn that the state was on the verge of collapse. ... Full Story | Top |
| Income surge puts consumers in better shape Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 11:12 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American income growth surged in December as companies rushed to make dividend payments before higher tax rates set in, while buoyant wage growth also gave a lift to households. U.S. personal income rose 2.6 percent last month, the biggest increase in eight years, the Commerce Department said on Thursday. While much of the gain was due to special payments aimed at beating tax increases due to begin this month, wages still grew at one of the faster rates seen last year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Malian president offers Tuareg rebels talks Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 11:24 AM PST  TIMBUKTU, Mali/PARIS (Reuters) - Mali's president offered talks to Tuareg rebels on Thursday in a bid for national reconciliation after a French-led offensive drove their Islamist former allies into desert and mountain hideaways in the country's vast north. France's three-week ground and air campaign has dislodged al Qaeda-linked fighters from northern Mali's major towns, ending the first phase of an operation designed to prevent Islamists using the region as a launchpad for attacks on neighboring West African countries and Europe. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. rights inquiry says Israel must remove settlers Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:43 AM PST  GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. human rights investigators called on Israel on Thursday to halt settlement expansion and withdraw all half a million Jewish settlers from the occupied West Bank, saying that its practices could be subject to prosecution as possible war crimes. A three-member U.N. panel said private companies should stop working in the settlements if their work adversely affected the human rights of Palestinians, and urged member states to ensure companies respected human rights. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombia rebels free seized oil workers, kill four soldiers Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:45 AM PST BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's FARC rebels on Thursday freed three oil contractors kidnapped a day earlier, military sources said, though the guerrillas killed four soldiers in the south as they step up pressure during peace talks. The kidnappings and other violent incidents came days after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, made clear during peace negotiations in Cuba that it would continue to capture armed forces, possibly hampering the talks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senators assail Obama's Pentagon nominee, question judgment Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 12:23 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers harshly attacked Chuck Hagel on Thursday at a contentious hearing over his nomination to become the next U.S. defense secretary, questioning his judgment on war strategy and putting him broadly on the defensive. In one of the most heated exchanges, influential Senator John McCain aggressively questioned Hagel, interrupting him and talking over him at times. He openly voiced frustration at Hagel's failure to say plainly whether he was right or wrong to oppose the 2007 surge of U.S. troops in Iraq. ... Full Story | Top |
| Explosion rocks Mexican oil giant Pemex offices, injures 20 Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:33 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - An explosion rocked the Mexico City headquarters of state oil giant Pemex on Thursday, killing one person, injuring more than 20 others and causing extensive damage to the building. A local emergency official said one person had died in the blast and 22 others were injured. Another four people were trapped inside the skyscraper, the official said. The blast, which media reports said was caused by machinery exploding, occurred in the basement, emergency officials said. Pemex initially said the building had been evacuated because of a problem with its electricity supply. ... Full Story | Top |
| Apple loses a U.S. appeals bid in Samsung patent fight Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:28 AM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Thursday rejected Apple Inc's request to revive its bid for a sales ban on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus smartphone, dashing the iPhone maker's attempt to recover crucial leverage in the global patent wars. Apple had asked the full Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., to revisit a decision in October by a three-judge panel of the same court. The panel rejected Apple's request to impose a sales ban on Samsung's Nexus smartphone ahead of a trial set for March 2014. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Republican maverick Hagel forged bond with Obama over Iraq Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:05 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - From his lonely position as an early Republican critic of the Iraq war, former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel sometimes lectured his more timid Senate colleagues. "If you wanted a safe job, go sell shoes," he told them. President Barack Obama's nominee for defense secretary began a Senate confirmation process on Thursday that revived the contentious relations the fiercely independent Vietnam war veteran had with fellow Republicans over his political career. "I'm proud of my record," Hagel declared before the Armed Services Committee. "I'm on the record on many issues. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt politicians renounce violence at crisis talks Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 05:48 AM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's feuding politicians renounced violence on Thursday after being summoned by the country's most influential Muslim scholar to talks to end the deadliest unrest since President Mohamed Mursi took power. It remains to be seen whether the pledge to end confrontation will halt a week of bloodshed on the streets that killed nearly 60 people. Opposition groups did not cancel new demonstrations scheduled for Friday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Spain's Rajoy, ruling party deny secret payment scheme Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 06:00 AM PST  MADRID (Reuters) - Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and Spain's ruling People's Party denied on Thursday that the party passed payments from business donors secretly to the premier and other party leaders after a newspaper published what it said were unofficial party accounts. El Pais published images of excerpts of almost two decades of handwritten accounts that it said were maintained by People's Party treasurers. El Pais said the accounts showed 11 years of payments to Rajoy of 25,200 euros ($34,200) a year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian rebels make slow headway in south Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:29 AM PST  AMMAN (Reuters) - The revolt against President Bashar al-Assad first flared in Deraa, but the southern border city now epitomizes the bloody stalemate gripping Syria after 22 months of violence and 60,000 dead. Jordan next door has little sympathy with Assad, but is wary of spillover from the upheaval in its bigger neighbor. It has tightened control of its 370-km (230-mile) border with Syria, partly to stop Islamist fighters or weapons from crossing. ... Full Story | Top |
| Deutsche Bank swallows $4 billion of charges for cleanup Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 10:58 AM PST  FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank plunged to its worst quarterly loss in four years on Thursday after it took nearly $4 billion in charges to try and draw a line under a slew of scandals and boost its balance sheet without asking shareholders for cash. Shares in Germany's largest lender hit their highest level in nearly a year after it raised its capital levels closer to European peers. But with so much uncertainty surrounding future capital requirements for the industry, a rights issue, which would dilute existing investors, remains a risk, Deutsche said. "We have been very consistent. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Iran crude oil exports rise to highest since EU sanctions Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 12:04 AM PST  GENEVA/DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's crude oil exports in December leapt to their highest level since European Union sanctions took effect last July, analysts and shipping sources said, as strong Chinese demand and tanker fleet expansion helped the OPEC member dodge sanctions. Exports rose to around 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) in December, according to two industry sources and shipping and customs data compiled by Reuters on a country-by-country basis and corroborated by other sources and consultants. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Citigroup may exit consumer banking in more countries Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 12:04 AM PST  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc is looking to pull out of consumer banking in more countries in an effort to lower costs and boost profits, according to two people familiar with the matter. In December, Citigroup said it was withdrawing from consumer banking in five countries - Pakistan, Paraguay, Romania, Turkey and Uruguay - as part of an expense reduction plan that will save $1.1 billion a year and eliminate 11,000 jobs. The cuts were one of Michael Corbat's first major steps as chief executive, a position he took in October. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Glencore turns setbacks into supremacy in Russian oil Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 12:45 AM PST  DAVOS (Reuters) - The world's largest trading house Glencore is fast turning itself into a Russian oil trade leader from an outsider by mending fences in just one year with Rosneft, the Kremlin's national energy champion. Through a $10 billion oil funding deal with state-controlled Rosneft, the Swiss-based firm that has been big in Russian coal, grains and aluminum for two decades is extending this grip to a sector where it played second fiddle to companies such as rival trader Vitol or Royal Dutch Shell. ... Full Story | Top |
| South African commuter train crash injures 150 Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 12:57 AM PST JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - At least 150 people, including children, were injured on Thursday when two commuter trains collided near the South African capital of Pretoria, emergency services said. The accident occurred when a train crashed into a stationary locomotive near Attridgeville, a suburb west of Pretoria. "Many are walking wounded and already left. There are 20 people in serious condition and one, the driver of the second train, is in a critical condition," local emergency services spokesman Johan Pieterse said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Leading Egyptian scholar gathers rivals, urges dialogue Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 03:28 AM PST  CAIRO (Reuters) - A leading Egyptian Islamic scholar brought together rival politicians on Thursday in a bid to ease a crisis that has triggered street violence killing more than 50 people, saying dialogue was the only way to resolve differences. The meeting at Al-Azhar university and mosque, a respected seat of Sunni Islamic learning, brought together members of the Muslim Brotherhood - the Islamist group that propelled President Mohamed Mursi to power - with the president's most vocal opponents. It was the first such meeting since the latest wave of violence erupted a week ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| No sense of crisis in Congress as automatic cuts loom again Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 12:08 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Big automatic cuts in federal spending are fast approaching again, alarming the defense sector but generating little activity in Congress to avoid them. The cuts, known as a "sequestration," were postponed for two months as part of the legislation that ended the standoff over the "fiscal cliff" on January 1. But the sense of crisis that accompanied the thought of across-the-board reductions then has all but vanished, replaced by a widespread sense of inevitability. ... Full Story | Top |
| China court rejects damages plea from man jailed for Bo joke Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 11:34 PM PST  BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese man sent to a labor camp for a joke about Bo Xilai said he was awarded minimal compensation by a court on Thursday, in what could be a blow to others jailed by the disgraced leader's administration and hoping for substantial damages. Fang Hong, 46, was sentenced to a year of re-education in 2011 after posting a poem online that mocked Bo and his then police chief Wang Lijun for miscarriages of justice during an anti-crime campaign in the southwestern city of Chongqing, where Bo was Communist Party chief. ... Full Story | Top |
| China sentences two Tibetans for "inciting" self-immolations Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 12:55 AM PST BEIJING (Reuters) - A court in China has handed down heavy sentences to a Tibetan monk and his nephew for inciting eight people to set themselves on fire in anti-Chinese protests, media said on Thursday, the first time punishment has been meted out over such protests. Nearly 100 Tibetans have set themselves on fire to protest against Chinese rule since 2009, with most of them dying from their injuries. ... Full Story | Top |
| IMF fails to agree on new formula for vote reforms Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 09:48 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund failed to meet a self-imposed Thursday deadline for agreeing on a new formula to determine member countries' voting power that would give emerging economies greater say in the global financial institution. IMF member countries have wrangled for two years over specifics of the formula intended to reflect the rise of China, Brazil and other large emerging market economies. The IMF said it planned to finalize a formula by January 2014, when it next reviews the voting shares of member countries. ... Full Story | Top |
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