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| Boston bombing suspects had planned July 4 attack Thursday, May 02, 2013 07:18 PM PDT  By Ross Kerber, Jim Finkle and Mark Hosenball BOSTON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The two brothers suspected of carrying out the deadly attacks on the Boston Marathon had originally planned to set off their bombs on July 4, a law enforcement official said. The official said the suspects, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, advanced the date of their attack because they completed building bombs more quickly then they originally anticipated. The official declined to be identified and did not offer more details. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama blesses Mexican security plan, eyes deeper business ties Thursday, May 02, 2013 06:05 PM PDT  By Mark Felsenthal and Steve Holland MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama gave his blessing on Thursday to a new security arrangement with Mexican leader Enrique Pena Nieto, in which Mexico will make reducing violence a priority over hunting drug cartel kingpins in the war against organized crime. The two presidents said they also want to step up trade and business ties that have been overshadowed by the battle against drug trafficking. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dozens dead as Assad's forces storm coastal village Thursday, May 02, 2013 01:11 PM PDT  By Erika Solomon BEIRUT (Reuters) - State forces and militias loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stormed the coastal village of Baida on Thursday, killing at least 50 people including women and children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The pro-opposition monitoring group said the final death toll was likely to exceed 100. Many of those killed appeared to have been executed by shooting or stabbing, it said, and other bodies were found burned. Activist reports on the killings could not be independently verified as the Syrian government restricts access for independent media. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea could reach U.S. with nuclear arms: Pentagon Thursday, May 02, 2013 07:20 PM PDT  By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea's continuing development of nuclear technology and long-range ballistic missiles will move it closer to its stated goal of being able to hit the United States with an atomic weapon, a new Pentagon report to Congress said on Thursday. The report, the first version of an annual Pentagon assessment required by law, said Pyongyang's Taepodong-2 missile, with continued development, might ultimately be able to reach parts of the United States carrying a nuclear payload if configured as an intercontinental ballistic missile. ... Full Story | Top |
| FBI releases photos of three men from Benghazi attack site Thursday, May 02, 2013 02:41 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI on Thursday released the photographs of three men it said were at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, when it was attacked last September. The FBI did not call the three men suspects in the attacks, saying only that they "may be able to provide information to help in the investigation." "The FBI is now asking Libyans and people around the world for additional information related to the attacks," the U.S. investigative agency said in a statement with the photographs. Four Americans including U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tear gas fired as Egyptian Islamists target security HQ Thursday, May 02, 2013 06:42 PM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian security forces fired tear gas to disperse a small group of hardline Islamist protesters who were attempting to scale the walls of the state security headquarters in a Cairo suburb late Thursday night. Around 2,000 protesters from several Salafi Islamist groups had staged a protest earlier on Thursday night outside the security headquarters against what they said was a return to the force's pre-revolution methods. After security forces fired tear gas, the remaining protesters, some of whom had also attempted to break into a nearby police officers' club, left the ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Doubling U.S. exports remains a distant dream for Obama Thursday, May 02, 2013 03:49 PM PDT  By Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama reminded the world on Thursday of the lofty goal set early in his presidency to double American exports over five years. It looks like he won't deliver. Trade data published earlier in the day underscored the uphill battle faced by the administration. Weakness in the global economy is knocking down demand for U.S. exports, which rose just 3 percent in the 12 months through March. At that pace, Obama's mission won't be accomplished until around 2024, nearly a decade later than promised. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. rethinking its opposition to arming Syrian rebels: Hagel Thursday, May 02, 2013 04:06 PM PDT  By Phil Stewart and David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is rethinking its opposition to arming the Syrian rebels, President Barack Obama's defense chief said on Thursday, even as Obama himself signaled that no decision to deepen U.S. involvement in the conflict was imminent. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel cautioned that giving weapons to the forces fighting President Bashar al-Assad was only one option being considered by the United States. It carries the risk of arms finding their way into the hands of anti-American extremists among the insurgents, such as the Nusra Front. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boeing plans to build world's longest-range passenger jet Thursday, May 02, 2013 03:04 PM PDT  By Tim Hepher and Praveen Menon PARIS/DUBAI (Reuters) - Boeing has shown airlines a blueprint for the world's longest-range passenger jet, adding spice to a long-awaited revamp of its 777 wide-body jet, people familiar with the matter said. Boeing on Wednesday launched a race against Airbus for sales of the newest long-haul jets by announcing it had begun selling an upgraded aircraft family code-named 777X. First seen in the 1990s, the 777 cornered the market for large twin-engine aircraft able to fly routes previously only possible with four engines, earning it the nickname "mini-jumbo. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. seeks North Korean amnesty for American jailed for 15 years Thursday, May 02, 2013 03:35 PM PDT  By Paul Eckert SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea sentenced an American citizen to 15 years of hard labor on Thursday for crimes against the state, prompting a U.S. call for his amnesty in hopes of avoiding him becoming a bargaining chip between the two countries. Kenneth Bae, 44, was born in South Korea but is a naturalized U.S. citizen and studied psychology for two years at the University of Oregon. His sentencing comes after two months of saber-rattling that saw North Korea threaten the United States and South Korea with nuclear war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tear gas fired as Egyptian Islamists target security HQ Thursday, May 02, 2013 04:56 PM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian security forces fired tear gas to disperse a small group of hardline Islamist protesters who were attempting to scale the walls of the state security headquarters in a Cairo suburb late Thursday night. Around 2,000 protesters from several Salafi Islamist groups had staged a protest earlier on Thursday night outside the security headquarters against what they said was a return to the force's pre-revolution methods. After security forces fired tear gas, the remaining protesters, some of whom had also attempted to break into a nearby police officers' club, left the ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama visits Mexico; immigration, energy, security in focus Thursday, May 02, 2013 01:19 PM PDT By Mark Felsenthal and Steve Holland MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Mexico on Thursday for a visit he hopes will draw attention to Mexico's emerging economic might, even as worries about containing drug-trafficking and related violence remain an inescapable subtext. Obama meets with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and is then due to hold a news conference at 4:10 p.m. CDT (4.10 p.m. EDT). The U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| American dream goes sour for Kazakhs charged over bombings Thursday, May 02, 2013 08:50 AM PDT  By Mariya Gordeyeva ALMATY (Reuters) - Going to study in America was a dream come true for Kazakh students Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov, an escape from a regimented life under authoritarian rule in their Central Asian homeland. Their arrest on charges of impeding the investigation into the Boston Marathon bombings to help their friend, prime suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, left many in the huge former Soviet republic in disbelief. Tazhayakov had enjoyed a privileged upbringing, attending an elite school in the capital Astana. ... Full Story | Top |
| States balk at making up for cuts, guard revenues Thursday, May 02, 2013 03:01 PM PDT  By Lisa Lambert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As they finalize budgets for the next fiscal year, many states are sending a message to the government about the effects of spending cuts known as sequestration on federally funded projects: You're on your own. Since sequestration began on March 1, states have warned they would not step in to make up for lower federal funding on programs. A survey released by the National Conference of State Legislatures on Thursday showed that they indeed are not compensating for the reductions, but are setting aside reserves in case the cuts slow their future revenues. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam appears briefly in court Thursday, May 02, 2013 01:12 PM PDT  By Ghaith Shennib ZINTAN, Libya (Reuters) - Saif al-Islam, a son of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, appeared in court on Thursday in the town of Zintan, where he had been held since his capture by former rebels in November 2011. Saif al-Islam, at the center of a legal tussle between Libya and the International Criminal Court (ICC), smiled and told reporters he was in good health during his brief appearance. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama rounds out economic team with Commerce, trade picks Thursday, May 02, 2013 11:18 AM PDT  By Jeff Mason and Doug Palmer WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama tapped Mike Froman and Penny Pritzker for the last two vacant Cabinet slots on his economic team on Thursday, turning to a law school classmate who is already one of his chief advisers and a billionaire businesswoman who helped put him in the White House. As key members of his team, the two will work to boost demand for U.S. goods and workers, Obama said as he announced the nominations at the White House shortly before leaving on a trip to Mexico, a key U.S. trading partner. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU's Ashton to meet Iran's nuclear negotiator on May 15 Thursday, May 02, 2013 12:59 PM PDT  By Justyna Pawlak BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Negotiators from the European Union and Iran will meet in Istanbul this month to discuss future diplomatic efforts to resolve a decade-old dispute over Tehran's nuclear program. The May 15 meeting between the EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who leads diplomacy with Iran on behalf of six world powers, and Tehran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili follows a failed round of talks in Kazakhstan in April. Its outcome may be crucial in deciding whether a new round of negotiations can take place, and when, Western diplomats say. ... Full Story | Top |
| ECB cuts interest rates, open to further action Thursday, May 02, 2013 08:52 AM PDT  By Michael Shields BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - The European Central Bank cut interest rates for the first time in 10 months on Thursday and held out the possibility of further policy action to support the recession-hit euro zone economy. Responding to a drop in euro zone inflation well below its target level and rising unemployment, the ECB lowered its main rate by a quarter percentage point to a record low 0.50 percent. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pakistan, Afghan forces in high-stakes clash along border Thursday, May 02, 2013 09:15 AM PDT  ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - An Afghan border policeman was killed and two Pakistani soldiers were wounded in an exchange of fire along the border late on Wednesday, officials from both countries said, in a clash likely to unsettle already troubled ties between the neighbors. A senior Afghan official said hundreds of additional Afghan troops had been sent to the disputed Gursal border gate after the exchange of fire, which lasted for more than two hours. The stakes are high. ... Full Story | Top |
| April bloodiest month in Iraq since 2008: U.N. Thursday, May 02, 2013 08:21 AM PDT  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - April was Iraq's bloodiest month for almost five years, with 712 people killed in bomb attacks and other violence, the United Nations Iraq mission said on Thursday. Iraq has grown more volatile as the civil war in neighboring Syria strains fragile relations between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims. Tensions are at their highest since U.S. troops pulled out in December 2011. ... Full Story | Top |
| Palestinian family says son who stabbed Israeli 'did his duty' Thursday, May 02, 2013 08:13 AM PDT  By Noah Browning SHWEIKEH, West Bank (Reuters) - Ali Zaghal read the mysterious text message early on Tuesday morning with dread: "Forgive me, brother." Minutes later, his 21-year-old brother Salam stabbed an Israeli settler waiting at a traffic circle in the occupied West Bank, killing him before being shot and arrested by soldiers. While the family of the dead settler mourned their loss, the Zaghal family, living in poverty in the north of the Palestinian territory, defended Salam's action as justified. "It was destiny, and we take pride in him as a family. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Canadian housing - bursting bubble or gentle landing? Thursday, May 02, 2013 11:17 AM PDT  By Andrea Hopkins TORONTO (Reuters) - It's looking like an unsettling spring in Canadian housing, a market that has proven far more even-keeled and less scary for investors in recent years than in the United States. In what is traditionally the best season of the year for real estate agents, Toronto agent Ecko Jay says the industry is seeing far fewer buyers, a result of tighter lending rules, high prices and fear of a bubble. In Toronto alone, sales dropped 40 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, making homeowners and investors jumpy. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel's Netanyahu says would put peace deal to referendum Thursday, May 02, 2013 07:55 AM PDT  By Crispian Balmer JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he would put any peace deal with the Palestinians to a referendum, raising expectations that direct negotiations might soon resume following a two-year stalemate. It was the second time in just three days that Netanyahu has publicly mentioned the possibility of holding a nationwide vote on an eventual accord and came as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Israeli politicians in Washington to discuss talks. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jobless claims fall sharply to five-year low Thursday, May 02, 2013 07:54 AM PDT  By Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new jobless benefits claims fell sharply last week to its lowest level since the early days of the 2007-09 recession, a sign the job market is still healing even though the economy remains weak. Other data on Thursday showed a narrowing of the trade gap in March, although drops in imports and exports offered warning signs over the strength of domestic and foreign demand. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 18,000 to a seasonally adjusted 324,000 last week, the Labor Department said. ... Full Story | Top |
| More than 60 killed in gold mine collapse in Sudan's Darfur Thursday, May 02, 2013 06:45 AM PDT KHARTOUM (Reuters) - More than 60 miners were killed this week in Sudan's Darfur region when the gold mine they were working in collapsed, a police spokesman said on Thursday. Ahmed Amr said fighting had broken out in January between two tribes over access to the mine in the Jebel Amir area of North Darfur, and authorities had closed it after several people were killed in the violence. It had since reopened. A member of parliament from the area said the mine collapsed on Monday, and word had only reached Khartoum on Thursday. A witness told Reuters by phone that rescue efforts had failed. ... Full Story | Top |
| GM profit tops view as North America strong, Europe improves Thursday, May 02, 2013 11:23 AM PDT  By Ben Klayman and Deepa Seetharaman DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co posted stronger-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday as the U.S. automaker kept a tight grip on costs in its North American and European businesses. GM shares rose 3.6 percent to $31.27, near their initial public offering debut of $33 in the fall of 2010, and hit the highest point since July of 2011. The increase is welcome news for GM's largest shareholder, the U.S. Treasury, which acquired its stake after a taxpayer-funded bailout. ... Full Story | Top |
| Local mayor suspended as Bangladesh disaster toll climbs to 430 Thursday, May 02, 2013 05:08 AM PDT  By Ruma Paul DHAKA (Reuters) - The mayor of the Bangladesh municipality where a factory building collapsed killing more than 400 people was suspended from office on Thursday, a government minister said, as rescuers pressed on with the task of recovering bodies from the wreckage. The scale of the April 24 disaster has prompted a worldwide outcry at poor safety and pay in many factories making clothes for Western brands, with Pope Francis on Wednesday likening the conditions of workers who died to "slave labor". ... Full Story | Top |
| Turkish border police wounded in clashes on Turkey-Syrian border Thursday, May 02, 2013 05:27 AM PDT ANKARA (Reuters) - Five Turkish border guards were wounded in a clash at the Syrian border with an armed group that one Turkish official described as smugglers but an opposition activist suggested may have included rebel fighters of the Free Syrian Army. Turkish media said 10 people, including civilians, were wounded in the clash at Akcakale in Sanliurfa province, opposite Syria's Tel Abyad gate. Private broadcaster NTV said the Syrians had been waiting to cross at the border gate, and opened fire when they were refused entry. ... Full Story | Top |
| Malaysia's Anwar raises voter fraud alarm ahead of election Thursday, May 02, 2013 04:47 AM PDT  By Siva Sithraputhran KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday that tens of thousands of "dubious" voters may have been flown in to key states to boost the government's chances in this weekend's election, an accusation denied by the ruling coalition. Electoral fraud is a sensitive issue in Malaysia, where a civil society movement has sprung up to demand electoral reforms in increasingly large street protests. A narrow victory by the ruling coalition on Sunday could trigger allegations of cheating and calls for more street protests. ... Full Story | Top |
| Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam appears briefly in court Thursday, May 02, 2013 05:25 AM PDT  By Ghaith Shennib ZINTAN, Libya (Reuters) - Saif al-Islam, a son of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, appeared in court on Thursday in the town of Zintan, where he had been held since his capture by former rebels in November 2011. Saif al-Islam, at the center of a legal tussle between Libya and the International Criminal Court (ICC), smiled and told reporters he was in good health during his brief appearance. ... Full Story | Top |
| For Obama and Pena Nieto, a delicate 'first dance' around energy Thursday, May 02, 2013 03:08 AM PDT  By Edward McAllister NEW YORK (Reuters) - When the conversation between President Barack Obama and his newly elected Mexican counterpart Enrique Pena Nieto turns to the controversial topic of energy during their meeting this week, both are apt to step carefully. The two countries have abruptly changed positions over the past decade: Mexico, once the growing energy power, is struggling to maintain production; the United States, once a guaranteed importer, is enjoying a lucrative energy boom. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jewish leaders alarmed by far-right, anti-Semitism in Hungary Thursday, May 02, 2013 03:34 AM PDT  By Krisztina Than BUDAPEST (Reuters) - The rise of far-right movements and anti-Semitism across Europe, notably in Hungary, where more than half a million Jews were killed in the Nazi Holocaust, will preoccupy Jewish leaders from around the globe when they meet in Budapest on Sunday. "Clearly, anti-Semitism in Hungary is on the rise, and we have also witnessed a dramatic growth in the number of attacks against other minorities such as the Roma," World Jewish Congress (WJC) president Ronald Lauder told Reuters by email. ... Full Story | Top |
| Struggling factories underline fragility of world growth Thursday, May 02, 2013 03:38 AM PDT  By Jonathan Cable and Langi Chiang LONDON/BEIJING (Reuters) - Manufacturing across the world stumbled last month, underlining the fragility of the global economy and building the case for more action from leading central banks. Gloomy purchasing managers indexes - surveys of factory activity that correlate strongly with economic activity - added to a string of other economic data that has already soured optimism that a budding pickup in the world economy will flower. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: What taxpayer bailouts? Euro crisis saves Germany money Thursday, May 02, 2013 01:20 AM PDT  By Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Throughout Europe's debt crisis, northern European leaders have often said they will not stand for taxpayers having to fork out for other countries' problems, and the notion of "taxpayer-funded bailouts" has taken root. Yet despite three-and-a-half years of debt and banking turmoil, with bailouts totaling more than 400 billion euros, northern euro zone taxpayers have not actually lost a cent. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: China investment guru Fang targets comeback with $2 billion Hopu II fund Thursday, May 02, 2013 01:10 AM PDT By Stephen Aldred HONG KONG (Reuters) - Fang Fenglei, a former Goldman Sachs banker and co-founder of Hopu Investment Management, is raising up to $2 billion in a new fund, people familiar with the matter said, as one of China's best known bankers seeks to add to his riches. The launch of another Hopu fund removes the mystery surrounding the next move of a politically connected and closely watched China financier who stepped out of the limelight three years ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Wall Street to Best Buy - Now, get out of China Wednesday, May 01, 2013 10:05 PM PDT  By Dhanya Skariachan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Best Buy's move to exit Europe has many on Wall Street hoping the big box retailer does the same in China. The company sold its stake in a European joint venture to Carphone Warehouse Group this week for less than half of what it paid five years ago. Despite the loss, investors welcomed the news and sent shares up to their highest level in a year. Many are betting that the next move for the world's largest consumer electronics chain will be out of China, where it has struggled to fend off local rivals and failed to carve a niche in a cluttered market. ... Full Story | Top |
| Amid new security threats, some in Congress look to update 9/11 law Wednesday, May 01, 2013 11:26 PM PDT  By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A few dozen words rushed into law days after the September 11, 2001, attacks have been used to justify U.S. counterterrorism efforts from the war in Afghanistan to warrantless wiretapping and drone strikes, all on orders of the White House - and with little congressional oversight. Now, as criticism grows that the law has been stretched well beyond its original intent to go after militant groups that did not even exist on 9/11, some Democrats and Republicans have begun writing legislation to update the nearly 12-year-old resolution. ... Full Story | Top |
| What options does Obama have to close Guantanamo? Wednesday, May 01, 2013 10:17 PM PDT  By Susan Cornwell and Jane Sutton (Reuters) - With his renewed vow to close the detention camp for foreign terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, President Barack Obama has effectively assigned himself a list of possible ways to take the prison's population down from 166 to zero. Some would be more easily achieved than others. In pledging to look again at an unfulfilled promise dating back to his first election campaign and early days in office in 2009, Obama made plain on Tuesday that it was untenable to keep the 11-year-old camp open. A hunger strike at the camp at the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lehman Brothers sues Intel over $1 billion in seized collateral Wednesday, May 01, 2013 10:36 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Bankrupt investment bank Lehman Brothers has sued Intel Corp, accusing the chip maker of seizing $1 billion in collateral in breach of a swap agreement, a court filing showed. Under the swap agreement, executed days before Lehman filed for bankruptcy in 2008, Intel gave $1 billion to a derivatives unit of Lehman Brothers in exchange for 50.5 million Intel shares, to be delivered on the settlement date of September 29, 2008, according to the filing made in a New York bankruptcy court. ... Full Story | Top |
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