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| China's head of state assets regulator under probe for 'discipline violation': Xinhua Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 08:28 PM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - China is investigating Jiang Jiemin, head of the national assets regulator, for "serious discipline violation", state news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday, in what would appear to be another step in Beijing's widening anti-graft campaign. Jiang, who became head of the state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) in March, was previously chairman of top energy group China National Petroleum Company, or CNPC. (Reporting by Chen Aizhu and Jenny Su; Editing by Paul Tait) Full Story | Top |
| China official PMI hits 16-month high in August Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 08:11 PM PDT  By Aileen Wang and Jonathan Standing BEIJING (Reuters) - China's factory activity expanded at the fastest pace in more than a year in August with a jump in new orders, official data showed on Sunday, raising hopes that a rapid economic slowdown in the world's second-largest economy may have been arrested. The purchasing managers' index (PMI) figure, published by the National Bureau of Statistics, rose to 51.0 in August from 50.3 in July, the highest level since last April and ahead of market expectations of 50.6 in a Reuters poll. ... Full Story | Top |
| Texas Senator Cruz tells Republicans: No surrender on Obamacare Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 07:36 PM PDT  By Caren Bohan ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who is leading a conservative push to eliminate funding for President Barack Obama's new healthcare law, took his fight on Saturday to a forum of Republican activists where he challenged lawmakers in his party not to "surrender" on Obamacare. Cruz, a potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate, used a speech to an Americans for Prosperity conference in Orlando, Florida, to take to task those in his party who are wary of risking a possible government shutdown in an effort to fight Obama's signature healthcare law. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama's Syria decision: a walk, a debate, and a new approach Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 07:19 PM PDT  By Roberta Rampton and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At the end of the day on Friday, after laying out a strong public case for U.S. military action in Syria, President Barack Obama took a 45-minute walk around the South Lawn of the White House with his chief of staff, Denis McDonough. They discussed Obama's options for using force. ... Full Story | Top |
| Verizon, Vodafone boards set to vote on $130 billion wireless deal Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 07:17 PM PDT  By Soyoung Kim and Michelle Sierra NEW YORK (Reuters) - The boards of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc are expected to vote this weekend on a $130 billion deal, funded by about $65 billion of debt, to give the U.S. telecom giant complete ownership of Verizon Wireless, people familiar with the matter said on Saturday. A deal, which the sources said could be announced as soon as Monday, would cap Verizon's decade-long effort to win full control of the No. 1 U.S. wireless provider. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Military action in Syria faces uncertain fate in Congress Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 06:52 PM PDT  By Tabassum Zakaria and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Congress has resolved almost nothing of consequence since 2010, failing to complete what were once basic responsibilities for roads, schools, farms and the U.S. mail. Asking the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Democratic-led Senate to agree on military action - already a controversial issue both within and between the parties - injects a new dose of uncertainty into Washington's reaction to the Syria crisis. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bones unearthed in search at former Florida reform school Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 06:01 PM PDT  By Bill Cotterell MARIANNA, Florida (Reuters) - Teams of searchers recovered human bones from the sands of Florida Panhandle woodlands on Saturday in a "boot hill" graveyard where juveniles who disappeared from a notorious Old South reform school more than a half-century ago are believed to have been secretly buried. "We have found evidence of burial hardware - hinges on coffins," said Dr. Christian Wells, an anthropologist from the University of South Florida, in a briefing about a mile from the closed excavation site near the former Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama asks Congress to approve military strike against Syria Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 05:10 PM PDT  By Roberta Rampton and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama stepped back from the brink on Saturday and delayed an imminent military strike against Syria to seek approval from the U.S. Congress in a gamble that will test his ability to project American strength abroad and deploy his own power at home. Before Obama put on the brakes, the path had been cleared for a U.S. assault. Navy ships were in place and awaiting orders to launch missiles, and U.N. inspectors had left Syria after gathering evidence of a chemical weapons attack that U.S. officials say killed 1,429 people. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate to vote on Syria resolution no later than week of September 9: Reid Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 04:59 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Saturday that he would hold a vote on authorizing President Barack Obama to use limited military force against Syria no later than the week of September 9. Reid said the Senate would hold public hearings on the issue next week with senior Obama administration officials, and would hold classified and unclassified briefings for senators throughout the week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama sends draft bill on Syria strikes to Congress Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 04:28 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama sent draft legislation to Congress on Saturday formally asking for approval to use military force in Syria to "deter, disrupt, prevent and degrade" the potential for further chemical attacks. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Jeff Mason; Editing by Sandra Maler) Full Story | Top |
| Obama delays strike against Syria to seek Congress approval Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 04:19 PM PDT  By Roberta Rampton and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama stepped back from the brink on Saturday and delayed an imminent military strike against Syria to seek approval from the U.S. Congress in a gamble that will test his ability to project American strength abroad and deploy his own power at home. Before Obama put on the brakes, the path had been cleared for a U.S. assault. Navy ships were in place and awaiting orders to launch missiles, and U.N. inspectors had left Syria after gathering evidence of a chemical weapons attack that U.S. officials say killed 1,429 people. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea says called off envoy visit because of U.S. military drills Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 04:17 PM PDT  SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said late on Saturday it withdrew an invitation for a U.S. envoy to visit the country to discuss the fate of a jailed American citizen because U.S. military drills on the peninsula made humanitarian dialogue impossible. Robert King, special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, was scheduled to go to Pyongyang last Friday on what the U.S. State Department called a "humanitarian mission" to secure the release of Kenneth Bae. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nigeria's ruling party splinters, in threat to Jonathan Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 03:55 PM PDT  ABUJA (Reuters) - Seven Nigerian ruling party governors and a former presidential candidate formed a splinter group opposed to President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday, in the most explicit internal threat yet to his assumed bid to run for another term in office. Nigeria's ruling People's Democratic Party has been in power since shortly after the end of military rule in 1998, but it is increasingly riven by internal squabbles, centered around Jonathan's alleged intention to run again in 2015. ... Full Story | Top |
| Yemen PM escapes unhurt after gunmen shoot at motorcade: aide Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 03:04 PM PDT  By Mohammed Ghobari SANAA (Reuters) - Unidentified assailants opened fire on the motorcade of Yemen's prime minister on Saturday, an aide said, in an apparent assassination attempt that underscored the volatility of the U.S.-allied Arab country. Ali al-Sarari, an adviser to Prime Minister Mohammed Salem Basindwa, said no one was hurt in the attack which happened in the evening in Sanaa while the premier was returning home from his office. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. ... Full Story | Top |
| Suez Canal Authority says attack attempted on container ship Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 02:40 PM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - A "terrorist" staged an unsuccessful attack on a container ship passing through the Suez Canal on Saturday, in an attempt to disrupt the flow of ships through the waterway, the head of the Suez Canal Authority Mohab Memish said. The Suez Canal is a key global shipping line which is secured by the armed forces. "One of the terrorist elements has carried out a failed attempt to affect the movement of ships in the Suez Canal by targeting one of the passing ships, Cosco Asia," Memish said in a statement about the Panama-flagged ship. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nigeria Islamists kill 24 vigilantes in ambush Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 02:27 PM PDT MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Twenty-four vigilantes in northeast Nigeria were killed in an ambush during a botched attempt to arrest members of Islamist sect Boko Haram, one a member of their group and a security source said on Saturday. "They were ambushed even before they got to the Boko Haram camps," one of the youth vigilantes Masta Moh'd, who was not present during the attack on Friday in the town of Monguno, but had heard from several of the survivors, told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Obama and Syria: The education of a reluctant war president Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 01:30 PM PDT  By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - He was the peace candidate who became a war president, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has regularly ordered executions by drone. Just three months ago, President Barack Obama called for an end to America's "perpetual war-time footing." On Saturday, he said he had decided to take military action against Syria for its apparent chemical weapons use, but would seek authorization from - and to share responsibility with - the U.S. Congress. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama, Hollande agree on need for action on Syria: White House Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 01:26 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama spoke to French President Francois Hollande on Saturday and the two leaders agreed the world must send a strong message to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that chemical weapons use was unacceptable, the White House said. Obama informed Hollande in the call that he would seek congressional approval for U.S. military action. ... Full Story | Top |
| Text: Obama statement on decision for U.S. strikes on Syria Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 01:22 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Saturday said he had decided the United States should strike Syrian government targets in response to a chemical weapons attack outside Damascus, but he would seek a congressional vote. The following is the full text of his remarks in the White House Rose Garden: "Good afternoon, everybody. Ten days ago, the world watched in horror as men, women and children were massacred in Syria in the worst chemical weapons attack of the 21st century. ... Full Story | Top |
| France's Hollande facing pressure for deputies to vote on Syria Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 01:10 PM PDT  PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande reaffirmed to U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday his will to punish Syria for a suspected chemicals weapons attack but was under increasing pressure to put the intervention to parliament. Obama and Hollande spoke by telephone before Obama's statement that he would seek authorization from Congress before any strike. "The president reaffirmed to him his determination to act to sanction the regime," a source close to Hollande said. "Each country's pace of action must above all be respected. ... Full Story | Top |
| Republicans McCain, Graham say cannot support limited Syria strikes Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 12:55 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham on Saturday said they could not support isolated military strikes on Syria that are not part of a bigger strategy. "We cannot in good conscience support isolated military strikes in Syria that are not part of an overall strategy that can change the momentum on the battlefield, achieve the president's stated goal of (Syrian President Bashar al-) Assad's removal from power, and bring an end to this conflict, which is a growing threat to our national security interests," they said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House believes Congress will support Syria military strike: officials Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 12:53 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House believes Congress will vote in favor of a U.S. military strike against Syria because of the threat that chemical weapons pose to the security of Israel and other allies in the region, senior administration officials told reporters on Saturday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Indian teen sentenced to three years in Delhi gang rape case Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 12:49 PM PDT  By Annie Banerji and Suchitra Mohanty NEW DELHI (Reuters) - An Indian teenager was sentenced to three years in juvenile detention on Saturday for the December gang rape of a trainee physiotherapist, the first verdict in a case that sparked debate over whether India is too soft on young offenders. Police say the 18-year-old and five adult men lured the 23-year-old woman and her male friend onto a New Delhi bus where they repeatedly raped her and beat them both with a metal bar before dumping them on to a road. The woman died in a Singapore hospital two weeks after the December 16 attack. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hundreds of Iraqis protest against lawmaker privileges Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 12:48 PM PDT  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Baghdad and central and southern Iraq on Saturday against generous pension payments to lawmakers in a county where many are still struggling to get jobs and basic services. Police surrounded the rare demonstration in the capital and security forces armed with batons, teargas and water canon broke up one gathering in the southern city of Nassiriya, witnesses and security forces said. The protests marked widespread anger at the monthly payments of thousands of dollars and other benefits to government and parliamentary officials. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama will hold off on Syria strike until Congress has its say Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 12:46 PM PDT  By Roberta Rampton and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Saturday backed away from an imminent military strike against Syria to seek the approval of the U.S. Congress, in a decision that likely delays U.S. action for at least 10 days. Obama, in a stern statement from the White House Rose Garden, said he had authorized the use of military force to punish Syria for a chemical weapons attack August 21 that U.S. officials say killed 1,429 people. Military assets to carry out a strike are in place and ready to move on his order, he said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Congo army fights on despite rebel ceasefire offer Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 12:45 PM PDT  By Pete Jones GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Fighting erupted on Saturday between eastern Congolese rebels and the army, which said it would push on with an offensive to recapture all territory controlled by insurgents despite their call for a ceasefire. Democratic Republic of Congo's army, backed by a new U.N. brigade with an unprecedented mandate to launch attacks, has forced M23 rebels to retreat from positions they have held for months overlooking the eastern city of Goma. ... Full Story | Top |
| Timeline: Turning points in the U.S. debate on Syria Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 12:42 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama backed off from an imminent military strike against Syria on Saturday to seek the approval of the U.S. Congress, in a decision that likely delays U.S. action for at least 10 days. Following are turning points in the Obama administration's debate on whether and how to intervene in Syria's two-year civil war. ... Full Story | Top |
| Leader of Egypt's Brotherhood in good health in jail: ministry Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 12:41 PM PDT  By Asma Alsharif CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's Interior Ministry said on Saturday the top leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, was in good health and denied reports that he had died from a heart attack in prison. Any severe deterioration in Badie's health in prison would certainly deepen hostilities between the organization and the army-backed government that deposed the Brotherhood-backed president, Mohamed Mursi, in July. ... Full Story | Top |
| Secretary of State Kerry spoke with Syrian opposition leader Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 12:37 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to the Syrian opposition leader on Saturday to underscore the determination of the United States to hold the Syrian government accountable for using chemical weapons, a U.S. official said. Kerry spoke with Syrian Opposition Coalition President Ahmed Assi al-Jarba to underscore President Barack Obama's "commitment to holding the Assad regime accountable for its chemical weapons attack against its own people on August 21st," a senior State Department official said. ... Full Story | Top |
| France's Hollande reaffirms will to sanction Syria Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 12:34 PM PDT  PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande reaffirmed to U.S. President Barack Obama in a telephone call on Saturday his will to sanction Syria for a chemical attack this month, a source close to Hollande told Reuters. Following Obama's announcement that he would seek authorization from the U.S. Congress before taking any military action against Bashar al-Assad's government, the source said France believed each country's pace of action must be respected. "The president reaffirmed to him his determination to act to sanction the regime," the source said. ... Full Story | Top |
| India could save $8.5 billion by buying extra Iranian oil: minister Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 12:23 PM PDT  By Nidhi Verma NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India could save $8.5 billion in foreign exchange spending on crude oil imports in 2013/14 if it relied more on supplies from Iran, which is able to accept payment in rupees, India's Oil Minister M. Veerappa Moily said. In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spelling out a strategy to curb foreign exchange outflow against a backdrop of a weak currency, Moily said India was likely to import about 13 million tonnes of oil from Iran in 2013/14. It has already imported 2 million tonnes so far in the fiscal year that began in April. ... Full Story | Top |
| California wildfire threatening Yosemite is now size of Dallas Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 12:10 PM PDT  By Jonathan Allen (Reuters) - A massive wildfire that has charred the northwestern edge of California's Yosemite National Park is heading towards two groves of the park's famed sequoia trees, National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis said as firefighters battled the blaze on Saturday. The so-called Rim Fire, which now has an overall footprint that exceeds the area of Dallas, has burned about six percent of Yosemite's wilder backcountry but the vast majority of the park was still unaffected, Jarvis said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysing Syrian chemical weapons evidence could take three weeks: agency Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 12:09 PM PDT  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Fully assessing the evidence collected by weapons inspectors investigating last week's alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria could take up to three weeks, the organization in charge of the investigation said on Saturday. The team, which included nine experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and three from the World Health Organisation, arrived at the OPCW's Hague headquarters on Saturday evening after leaving Syria early in the morning. ... Full Story | Top |
| British PM says understands, supports Obama position on Syria Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 12:01 PM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Saturday he supported Barack Obama's position on Syria after the U.S. president said he would seek a congressional vote for military action in response to a deadly chemical weapons attack. Cameron's plans for Britain join a potential military strike were thwarted on Thursday night when parliament narrowly voted against a government motion to authorize such action in principle. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. rejects suggestion it's pulling out of Syria to allow strikes Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 11:33 AM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau and Edith Honan UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations on Saturday vehemently rejected suggestions that the world body was somehow stepping aside to allow U.S. air strikes on Syria over an alleged chemical attack, saying its humanitarian work in the conflict-ravaged nation would continue. "I have seen all kinds of reporting suggesting that the departure of the chemical weapons team somehow opens a window for military action of some kind," U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters. ... Full Story | Top |
| House to consider Syria military action Sept. 9 week: Boehner Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 11:30 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives will consider a measure on military action against Syria the week of September 9, House Speaker John Boehner and other Republican leaders said in a statement after President Barack Obama spoke on Saturday. "In consultation with the president, we expect the House to consider a measure the week of September 9th. This provides the president time to make his case to Congress and the American people," the statement said. (Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria; Editing by Vicki Allen) Full Story | Top |
| Senate Republican leader: Obama asked him for support on Syria Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 11:26 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on Saturday said President Barack Obama had advised him that he would seek authorization for the use of force from Congress before any combat actions against Syria. "The President's role as commander-in-chief is always strengthened when he enjoys the expressed support of the Congress," he said in a statement. (Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria; editing by Jackie Frank) Full Story | Top |
| War talk means more worry for Syrians living in United States Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 11:16 AM PDT By Victoria Cavaliere PATERSON, New Jersey (Reuters) - As President Barack Obama tries to persuade Congress that the time has come for military action in Syria, one slice of the population - immigrants from that war-torn country - has more cause to worry. Syrians living in the United States are deeply divided about what should be done - with some calling for a swift bombing campaign to unseat President Bashar al-Assad, while others blame the crisis on rebel groups. Yet both camps are united in fearing that U.S. strikes will only mean more bloodshed back home. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama says U.S. should strike Syria, will seek congressional vote Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 11:10 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Saturday he had decided the United States should strike Syrian government targets in response to a deadly chemical weapons attack, but said he would seek a congressional vote for any military action. "We cannot and will not turn a blind eye to what happened in Damascus," Obama said in statement at the White House Rose Garden. (Reporting by Paul Eckert) Full Story | Top |
| Muslim Brotherhood leader Badie in 'good health': Egypt ministry Saturday, Aug 31, 2013 10:48 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's Interior Ministry said on Saturday that the top leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, was in good health and denied reports that he had died from a heart attack in prison. The ministry's Facebook page said Badie, the Brotherhood's general guide, was "enjoying good health". (Reporting by Asma AlSharif; Editing by Michael Georgy and Alison Williams) Full Story | Top |
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