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| China probes Xinjiang connection to Tiananmen car deaths Monday, Oct 28, 2013 09:14 PM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese police are looking for two suspects from its restive Xinjiang region in connection with a "major incident", after five people were killed and dozens injured when a car ploughed into pedestrians and caught fire in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Police in the capital are asking local hotels about suspicious guests who had checked in since Oct 1 and named two suspects it said were from Xinjiang in a notice issued on Monday night, four hotels told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Poll shows strong lead for Democrat McAuliffe in Virginia governor's race Monday, Oct 28, 2013 09:08 PM PDT  By Gary Robertson RICHMOND, Virginia (Reuters) - Democrat Terry McAuliffe has a 12-point lead among likely voters over Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in the race to become Virginia's next governor, according to a Washington Post-ABT-SRBI poll published Monday. According to the poll, 51 percent favored McAuliffe, to Cuccinelli's 39 percent. Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis, who has achieved favor among voters who say they don't like either of the major party candidates, had 8 percent. ... Full Story | Top |
| Most U.S. libertarians do not identify with Tea Party: survey Monday, Oct 28, 2013 09:03 PM PDT By Mary Wisniewski CHICAGO (Reuters) - Most American libertarians do not consider themselves part of the conservative Tea Party movement despite a public perception that the two political groups are linked, according to a national survey released on Tuesday. Libertarians, who generally support maximizing individual rights and minimizing the role of government, differ sharply with the Tea Party and religious conservatives on issues such as abortion and decriminalization of marijuana, according to the survey by the non-partisan Public Religion Research Institute. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. spy chiefs face Congress amid spying rift with Europe Monday, Oct 28, 2013 09:01 PM PDT  By Tabassum Zakaria WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When top U.S. intelligence officials testified at a congressional hearing weeks ago, the public uproar was over the National Security Agency collecting the phone and email records of Americans. But when the NSA director and other spy chiefs appear at a House Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday it will be against a backdrop of angry European allies accusing the United States of spying on their leaders and citizens. The most prominent target appears to have been German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose mobile phone was allegedly tapped by the NSA. ... Full Story | Top |
| Skelton, former military expert in U.S. Congress, dies at 81 Monday, Oct 28, 2013 08:56 PM PDT  By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. congressman Ike Skelton, a 17-term Democrat who capped his career as chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, died on Monday, according to U.S. lawmakers. He was 81. Skelton died at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, with his wife Patty and his sons at his side, said Skelton's longtime colleague and staff member, Russell Orban. Skelton had entered the hospital about a week ago with a cough, but grew weaker as other complications developed, said Orban, who was present when Skelton died. ... Full Story | Top |
| Asia's export engine stuck in neutral despite U.S. uptick Monday, Oct 28, 2013 08:31 PM PDT  By Wayne Arnold and Tetsushi Kajimoto HONG KONG (Reuters) - Asia's once-reliable export engine remains stalled two years into a global economic recovery, raising concerns about the region's competitiveness and its ability to motor through the next tough time for emerging markets. Exports from seven of East Asia's biggest exporters - Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore - grew by just 0.8 percent in the third quarter, according to a Reuters analysis of national trade data, led by a 3.1 percent gain in exports to the U.S. from the same three months of 2012. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ex-U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. reports to federal prison Monday, Oct 28, 2013 08:00 PM PDT  By Brendan O'Brien (Reuters) - Former Illinois Representative Jesse Jackson Jr., once one of the most promising black politicians in the United States, reported to federal prison on Monday to begin serving a 2-1/2 year sentence for misusing campaign funds, according to a family spokeswoman. Jackson, a former Democratic representative and the son of civil rights leader the Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr., entered a federal correctional facility in Butner, North Carolina, family spokeswoman Bunnie Jackson-Ransom said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cameron to announce Islamic index on LSE Monday, Oct 28, 2013 07:09 PM PDT  By Shadi Bushra LONDON (Reuters) - The London Stock Exchange will launch an index to identify investment opportunities compliant with Islamic principles, aiming to capitalise on strong growth in the sector, Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron will tell a conference. The planned Islamic Market Index will identify companies that meet traditional Islamic investment principles and help London cement its position as the biggest centre for Islamic finance outside the Islamic world, Cameron will tell the World Islamic Economic Forum in London on Tuesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| MPs to question energy bosses over big price rises Monday, Oct 28, 2013 07:08 PM PDT  By William James and Sarah Young LONDON (Reuters) - The chiefs of six companies accused of abusing their grip on Britain's energy market will be questioned by MPs on Tuesday over escalating home electricity and gas prices in a dispute that could affect the next general election. The issue of soaring energy bills has jumped to the top of the political agenda in Britain since opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband promised to freeze energy bills for 20 months if his party wins the 2015 vote. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hawaii begins debate over whether to legalize gay marriage Monday, Oct 28, 2013 07:05 PM PDT  By Treena Shapiro HONOLULU (Reuters) - Hawaii started debating on Monday a proposal that would make the popular wedding and honeymoon destination the 15th U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage, repealing a voter-approved constitutional amendment that banned gay matrimony. Democratic Governor Neil Abercrombie appeared as the first witness in support of the measure with more than 1,800 people signed up to address the state Senate Judiciary Committee during a special session called by the governor. ... Full Story | Top |
| Western U.S. states, British Columbia team up to battle climate change Monday, Oct 28, 2013 06:54 PM PDT By Rory Carroll SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The leaders of the three U.S. states along the Pacific Coast and the Canadian province of British Columbia agreed on Monday to align carbon-cutting policies in the coastal region, which together is equivalent to the world's fifth-largest economy. Under the agreement aimed at aligning climate change strategies, the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington will move to set their first pricing on carbon emissions. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Abenomics' helped counteract Asia capital outflows: IMF Monday, Oct 28, 2013 06:35 PM PDT  TOKYO (Reuters) - An increase in Japanese foreign direct investment and bank lending to Asia has helped counteract capital outflows triggered by expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will soon taper its asset-buying program, the International Monetary Fund's top official for Asia said on Tuesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mexico lawmakers firm on mining royalty plan: Canada mining lobby Monday, Oct 28, 2013 06:34 PM PDT  By David Alire Garcia MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Canada's top mining lobby said on Monday that Mexican lawmakers remain "firm" on approving a system of mining royalty payments, despite the industry's best efforts to lower a levy that companies say will deter investment. Mexico's lower house of Congress approved the new 7.5 percent mining royalty on earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization earlier this month as part of a plan to bolster the country's feeble tax haul. The Senate must vote on the wider bill by the end of this week. ... Full Story | Top |
| New Australia government upholds ban on China's Huawei Monday, Oct 28, 2013 06:07 PM PDT  SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's newly elected conservative government is upholding the ban on China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd tendering for work on the country's $38 billion National Broadband Network (NBN), the attorney-general said on Tuesday. The former Labor government cited cyber-security concerns when it banned Huawei, the world's largest supplier of telecoms network equipment by revenue, from bidding for contracts on the infrastructure rollout last year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Singer Chris Brown pleads not guilty to assault that broke man's nose Monday, Oct 28, 2013 06:05 PM PDT  (Note: Strong language in the eighth paragraph) By Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - R&B singer Chris Brown pleaded not guilty on Monday to misdemeanor assault after a fight that broke a man's nose on Sunday outside a Washington hotel, the latest legal run-in for the Grammy-winner. After spending the night in jail, Brown left the courthouse in a crush of security and press as fans crying "Chris, Chris" tried to rush the artist. He faces a maximum of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mexico forces kill two suspects in state energy firm attacks Monday, Oct 28, 2013 05:54 PM PDT  By Lizbeth Diaz MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican security forces killed two people believed to be involved in a string of attacks on electrical installations at the weekend and captured three more, the government said on Monday. An unspecified number of substations and gas stations were attacked and damaged early on Sunday in the troubled western state of Michoacan in an attack that temporarily knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of people. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate banking panel eyes November 14 for Yellen hearing: Senate aide Monday, Oct 28, 2013 05:40 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Banking Committee is considering holding a hearing on Janet Yellen's nomination to head the Federal Reserve on November 14, a Senate aide said on Monday. President Barack Obama nominated Yellen on October 9 to succeed Ben Bernanke as chairman of the U.S. central bank when his term ends on January 31. The banking committee needs to vet the nomination before it can go to the full Senate for final consideration. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bipartisan deal in Congress to delay flood insurance hike: sources Monday, Oct 28, 2013 05:39 PM PDT  By David Adams (Reuters) - House and Senate members have reached a bipartisan agreement to delay by at least four years a flood insurance rate hike that would impact more than a million homeowners, according to congressional sources. The agreement would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to complete an affordability study before increasing future flood insurance premiums, according to a copy of the draft legislation obtained by Reuters. Legislation delaying the policy increases is due to be filed in the Senate on Tuesday, according to congressional sources. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada scandal deepens as prime minister accused of cover-up Monday, Oct 28, 2013 05:28 PM PDT  By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - A Canadian legislator at the heart of a spending scandal on Monday accused Prime Minister Stephen Harper of being involved in a cover-up deal, deepening a crisis that has engulfed the Conservative government. Senator Mike Duffy made his allegations just days before a Calgary convention of the ruling Conservatives, who have lost support in the polls since the scandal broke in May and are now trailing the opposition Liberals. ... Full Story | Top |
| Penn State to pay $59.7 million in Sandusky child sex abuse settlement Monday, Oct 28, 2013 05:17 PM PDT  By Barbara Goldberg and Daniel Trotta (Reuters) - Penn State University agreed to pay $59.7 million to 26 victims of convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky, settling the bulk of claims in a major step to move beyond a scandal that upended one of U.S. college football's most lucrative teams. The university said in a statement it reached the settlements in the wake of Sandusky's conviction in June 2012 for sexually abusing boys while he was an assistant football coach and after he retired. "We hope this is another step forward in the healing process for those hurt by Mr. ... Full Story | Top |
| Penn State to pay $59.7 mln in Sandusky child sex abuse settlement Monday, Oct 28, 2013 05:17 PM PDT (Adds background on insurance coverage) By Barbara Goldberg and Daniel Trotta Oct 28 (Reuters) - Penn State University agreed to pay $59.7 million to 26 victims of convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky, settling the bulk of claims in a major step to move beyond a scandal that upended one of U.S. college football's most lucrative teams. The university said in a statement it reached the settlements in the wake of Sandusky's conviction in June 2012 for sexually abusing boys while he was an assistant football coach and after he retired. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. military dedicates first national monument to combat dogs Monday, Oct 28, 2013 05:16 PM PDT  By Jim Forsyth SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - The United States' first national monument to a soldier's best friend, recognizing the sacrifices of dogs in combat, was dedicated by the U.S. military on Monday. Inscribed with the words "Guardians of America's Freedom," the nine-foot tall bronze statue at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, features four dogs and a handler. "These dogs were patriots just as much as anybody else who served," said military dog handler John Baker of Fallon, Nevada, whose 212th Military Police Company Detachment A was known as "Hell on Paws. ... Full Story | Top |
| California woman who killed pimp at age 16 set to be freed Monday, Oct 28, 2013 05:08 PM PDT  By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California woman who has served nearly two decades in prison for murdering her pimp when she was 16, becoming the face of a campaign to reform the treatment of young offenders, could be freed this week after Governor Jerry Brown upheld her parole. The impending release of Sara Kruzan, now 35, from the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla was hailed as a watershed moment by activists who have fought on her behalf for more than five years. ... Full Story | Top |
| Deputy who killed California boy trains officers to use guns Monday, Oct 28, 2013 05:07 PM PDT  By Ronnie Cohen SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A sheriff's deputy who shot and killed a 13-year-old California boy carrying what turned out to be a plastic replica assault rifle is a firearms expert who has trained officers for nearly two decades, authorities said on Monday. Deputy Erick Gelhaus, 48, fired eight shots at Andy Lopez Cruz on Tuesday, as the popular eighth-grader was walking near his home in the wine-country suburb of Santa Rosa carrying an imitation AK-47 he planned to return to a friend, relatives and officials said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Judge blocks part of Texas law restricting abortion Monday, Oct 28, 2013 04:46 PM PDT  By Karen Brooks AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday blocked the provision of a sweeping new Texas abortion law that requires doctors performing the procedure to have an agreement with a local hospital to admit patients, handing a partial victory to supporters of the right to abortion. The Texas law was the most fiercely debated proposal to restrict such procedures in the United States this year. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kerry says he may travel to Egypt in coming weeks Monday, Oct 28, 2013 04:40 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday he may visit Egypt in the coming weeks in what would be his first trip since the army toppled the country's democratically elected president on July 3. Ties between Washington and Cairo have deteriorated since the ouster of former President Mohamed Mursi, who was elected last year after the toppling of authoritarian ruler Hosni Mubarak, a longtime U.S. ally, in February 2011. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran outlines plan to win back Western oil interest: FT report Monday, Oct 28, 2013 04:39 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Iran is planning to offer international companies more lucrative contracts to attract at least $100 billion worth of investment in its oilfields over the next three years, the Financial Times reported on Monday. An adviser to Iran's oil minister, Mehdi Hosseini, was quoted in the Financial Times article as saying the Islamic republic would scrap its current system of "buyback" contracts, which do not allow foreign companies to book reserves or take equity stakes in Iranian projects. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. judge orders TV pitchman Trudeau released from jail Monday, Oct 28, 2013 04:37 PM PDT By David Bailey (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Monday ordered infomercial pitchman Kevin Trudeau released from a downtown Chicago jail where he had been held six days for failing to pay a nearly $38 million judgment over false promises he made in a weight-loss book. Trudeau, 50, was ordered jailed by Judge Robert Gettleman last week for failing to make full disclosure of assets owned or controlled by him that could be used to pay the judgment from a civil case brought by the Federal Trade Commission. ... Full Story | Top |
| German parliament to meet over U.S. spying scandal Monday, Oct 28, 2013 04:31 PM PDT  BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's parliament will hold a special session on reports the United States tapped Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone and left-wing parties demanded a public inquiry calling in witnesses including former U.S. intelligence operative Edward Snowden. Her conservative party, now in talks with the opposition Social Democrats on forming a new governing coalition after the September 22 election, said it would not stand in the way of any parliamentary committee investigating the espionage affair. Reports last week that the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: German coalition watch: Euro, banks & finance on agenda Monday, Oct 28, 2013 04:31 PM PDT German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives have begun talks with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) with the goal of having a new "grand coalition" government in place by Christmas. The parties have created 16 working groups that are charged with proposing policy compromises on a range of issues, from economic and banking policy, to the euro and energy. Below are the latest details on the talks, comments from participants, and media reports: * The working group on bank regulation, Europe and the euro held its first meeting on Monday. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. copper fabricator ends fight against JPM, BlackRock funds Monday, Oct 28, 2013 04:29 PM PDT  By Josephine Mason NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. copper fabricator Southwire Co dropped its legal fight against physical copper funds planned by Wall Street banks, as political and regulatory scrutiny make it unlikely the exchange-traded funds will ever be launched, according to a court filing on Monday. Southwire filed the lawsuit eight months ago after JPMorgan Chase & Co and BlackRock Inc got approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the first U.S. funds that would use copper as collateral against shares. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House sees need for 'constraints' on NSA spying Monday, Oct 28, 2013 04:28 PM PDT  By Steve Holland and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House moved on Monday to reassure U.S. allies and Americans concerned about the sweeping nature of the National Security Agency's surveillance practices by acknowledging that more constraints are needed to ensure that privacy rights are protected. Amid a growing uproar in Europe and a protest by a key U.S. senator, officials said they would review intelligence collection programs with an eye to narrowing their scope. ... Full Story | Top |
| Maine 'hermit' sentenced to re-enter society with counseling Monday, Oct 28, 2013 03:57 PM PDT By Dave Sherwood AUGUSTA, Maine (Reuters) - A Maine man who claims to have spent 27 years living in the woods as a hermit pleaded guilty on Monday to burglary and theft in a deal in which he will receive mental health counseling to re-enter society. Judge Nancy Mills, of Maine Superior Court, ordered Christopher Knight, 47, to check in weekly with the court to confirm that he is either working full time, attend schooling or volunteering, and undergoing mental health counseling for a year to ensure a "successful" return to the community. ... Full Story | Top |
| Singer Chris Brown pleads not guilty to assault Monday, Oct 28, 2013 03:56 PM PDT (Warning: Language in seventh paragraph may be offensive to some readers) By Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - R&B singer Chris Brown pleaded not guilty on Monday to a charge of misdemeanor assault as a result of a fight on Sunday outside a Washington hotel, the latest legal run-in for the Grammy-winner. Brown, 24, was arrested early on Sunday outside the upscale W Hotel, a few hundred yards from the White House. Another man involved in the fight, Christopher Hollosy, 35, described in court documents as Brown's bodyguard, was also arrested and charged with assault. ... Full Story | Top |
| Yemen police halt fireworks causing rumors of U.S. embassy attack Monday, Oct 28, 2013 03:50 PM PDT  SANAA (Reuters) - Yemeni police moved in to halt a firework display at a wedding party near the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa on Monday that triggered rumors of an attack on the mission, a security guard and a Yemeni diplomat in Washington said. They said security guards around the mission in Sanaa fired some shots in the air. "The U.S. Embassy in Sanaa was not attacked, nor was there any bombing in the vicinity of the Embassy," said Mohammed al-Basha, a spokesman for the Yemeni embassy in Washington in a twitter message. He said some people who had set off the fireworks were arrested. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rebels retreat as Congo army captures eastern strongholds Monday, Oct 28, 2013 03:43 PM PDT  By Kenny Katombe RUTSHURU, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo abandoned a key military base on Monday but vowed to fight on despite four days of a successful army offensive that has stoked tensions with neighboring Rwanda. Rwanda, accused by U.N. experts of backing the M23 rebels, said two of its citizens had been killed by Congolese army fire since Friday, when fighting erupted after two months of relative calm. Kigali, which denies any support for the M23, had warned it would not tolerate Congolese shells landing in its territory. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fernandez's government downplays electoral setback in Argentina Monday, Oct 28, 2013 03:26 PM PDT  By Anthony Esposito and Alejandro Lifschitz BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - President Cristina Fernandez's government sought on Monday to downplay a sobering defeat in Argentina's mid-term elections, asserting that its ability to govern has not been diminished even though voters shrank her majority in Congress and erased her chances of seeking a third term in 2015. The government's coalition took a beating in Sunday's elections, leaving her with only a slim majority in both legislative chambers. ... Full Story | Top |
| JAMA study questions FDA's shorter drug approval times Monday, Oct 28, 2013 03:23 PM PDT By Toni Clarke WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New drugs that receive expedited review by the Food and Drug Administration are being tested on fewer patients, leaving many safety questions unanswered even after they are approved, a study released on Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association found. Study authors Thomas Moore of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices and Dr Curt Furberg, a professor at Wake Forest School of Medicine, examined the development times, clinical testing and risks associated with 20 new drugs approved in 2008. ... Full Story | Top |
| Storm death toll rises as wind, rain batters northern Europe Monday, Oct 28, 2013 03:22 PM PDT By Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Anthony Deutsch LONDON/AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Hurricane strength winds battered northern Europe on Monday, killing more than a dozen people, cutting power and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and train journeys. At least seven people died in Germany while there were four deaths in Britain and fatalities in the Netherlands, Denmark and France as the storm brought down trees, blew roofs off houses and turned over trucks, causing chaos across much of the region. ... Full Story | Top |
| White House mounts push to win confirmation for housing nominee Monday, Oct 28, 2013 03:18 PM PDT  By Margaret Chadbourn WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Monday ramped up efforts to win confirmation for President Barack Obama's pick to regulate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the Senate scheduled a vote to try to break through Republican opposition. Obama nominated Representative Mel Watt to replace Edward DeMarco as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency on May 1, but the nomination has stalled due to stiff Republican opposition. ... Full Story | Top |
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