| | |
| Honduras's defiant left asks for presidential election recount Friday, Nov 29, 2013 08:13 PM PST  By Gustavo Palencia MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The party of Honduras' defeated leftist presidential candidate Xiomara Castro demanded a full vote recount on Friday, offering examples of poll fraud that supporters say robbed her of victory this week when conservative Juan Hernandez was declared the winner. Hernandez, who is head of Congress and enjoys close ties with incumbent president Porfirio Lobo, was declared winner on Monday, promising to tame violence that has made Honduras the world's murder capital. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea says U.S. citizen Merrill E. Newman is a criminal, arrested for hostile acts Friday, Nov 29, 2013 08:10 PM PST  North Korea said on Saturday it had arrested U.S. citizen Merrill E. Newman for "hostile acts" against the state and accused him of being "a criminal" who was involved in the killing of civilians during the 1950-53 Korean War. Newman "masterminded espionage and subversive activities against the DPRK and in this course he was involved in killings of service personnel of the Korean People's Army and innocent civilians," the North's official KCNA news agency said. DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Full Story | Top |
| Police helicopter crashes into busy Scottish pub, trapping revelers Friday, Nov 29, 2013 07:47 PM PST  By Russell Cheyne GLASGOW (Reuters) - A police helicopter crashed into the roof of a packed pub in Glasgow on Friday night, trapping revelers in choking dust and debris as they scrambled to flee a concert at the busy drinking hole. Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said people should prepare for the likelihood of fatalities while emergency workers labored to free people trapped under rubble in the shadow of the mangled helicopter, which was embedded in the pub's roof. Visibly shaken eye witnesses described scenes of horror as the 12-metre (40 ft) helicopter with two police officers and a civilian pilot on board spiraled into the Clutha pub in a busy area of Scotland's biggest city, collapsing part of the roof. "It was fairly busy, we were all having a nice time and then there was like a whoosh noise," Grace MacLean, who was in the pub at the time of impact, told the BBC. Full Story | Top |
| China scrambles jets to new defense zone, eyes U.S., Japan flights Friday, Nov 29, 2013 06:50 PM PST  By Ben Blanchard and Roberta Rampton BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China scrambled jets on Friday in response to two U.S. spy planes and 10 Japanese aircraft, including F-15 fighters, entering its new air defense zone over the East China Sea, state news agency Xinhua said, raising the stakes in a standoff with the United States, Japan and South Korea. The jets were scrambled for effective monitoring, Xinhua cited air force spokesman Shen Jinke as saying. Japan and South Korea flew military aircraft through the zone, which includes the skies over islands at the heart of a territorial dispute between Japan and China, the two countries said on Thursday. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. healthcare website down overnight for extended upgrade Friday, Nov 29, 2013 04:52 PM PST  By Roberta Rampton and Sharon Begley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government said it would take down the website at the center of President Barack Obama's healthcare reforms for an extended 11-hour period overnight on Friday as technology experts push to complete upgrades by a November 30 deadline. The website, HealthCare.gov, was supposed to make it easy to shop for health insurance required by the Obamacare law when it launched on October 1, but quickly turned into a political disaster after errors and timelags prevented most people who visited the site from signing up. They had worked on software and hardware upgrades through the U.S. Thanksgiving week to double its capacity so as many as 50,000 people could shop at the same time on the site. Just ahead of that self-imposed Saturday deadline, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said the website would be down for an unusually long period, from 9 p.m. EST on Friday until 8 a.m. EST on Saturday. Full Story | Top |
| Scotland says could be fatalities in helicopter pub crash Friday, Nov 29, 2013 04:38 PM PST LONDON (Reuters) - Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said on Friday that people should prepare for the likelihood of fatalities after a police helicopter crashed into a busy pub in Glasgow. "Given an incident of this scale we must all prepare ourselves for the likelihood of fatalities," Salmond said, adding that a full rescue operation was under way. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Bill Trott) Full Story | Top |
| Moody's raises Greek rating to 'Caa3' Friday, Nov 29, 2013 03:54 PM PST Moody's is the third and last major agency to raise Greece's rating over the past 12 months, after the election victory of a government backing the country's EU/IMF bailout, which rescued Athens from default and averted its possible exit from the euro. But Moody's said late on Friday it believed Athens would meet its 2014 budget surplus target, which would make it eligible for debt relief from its international lenders. "Moody's believes that the government remains committed to achieving a primary surplus of close to 1.5 percent of GDP in 2014, especially as this will be required to qualify for continuing debt reduction from official creditors," it said in a statement. Achieving a primary surplus, before interest payments, is a condition that Athens must fulfill to obtain debt relief promised to it by its lenders under the terms of a November 2012 deal. Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: Details emerge on Illinois pension reform deal Friday, Nov 29, 2013 03:53 PM PST Illinois legislative leaders on Friday revealed more specifics on the deal they reached on Wednesday to overhaul the state's under-funded public pension system. Illinois has the worst-funded public employee pension system among the 50 states. Here are details on the deal, according to an overview released by the Illinois House speaker's office: * The retirement age for public workers who are currently aged 45 and under would gradually increase. Full Story | Top |
| Illinois union leaders bash pension plan as details emerge Friday, Nov 29, 2013 03:52 PM PST  By Tom Polansek CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois union leaders on Friday criticized the details of a controversial deal to reform the state's woefully under-funded public pensions, as legislative leaders revealed more specifics of the deal they reached on Wednesday. The agreement contains proposals to raise the retirement age and reduce automatic increases in pension payments, according to an overview of the bill released by the office of powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Union opponents of the plan say it is little changed from a Madigan-backed proposal that was overwhelmingly defeated by the Illinois Senate earlier this year. "It's a bad rerun of a movie that we saw months ago and for public servants and retirees, it's a horror film," said Anders Lindall, spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Full Story | Top |
| U.S. healthcare website down for overnight maintenance Friday, Nov 29, 2013 03:45 PM PST By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The website at the center of President Barack Obama's healthcare reforms will be down for an extended period overnight on Friday as the government pushes to complete upgrades by a November 30 deadline, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said. The website, HealthCare.gov, will be down from 9 p.m. EST on Friday until 8 a.m. EST on Saturday, CMS said. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Sandra Maler) Full Story | Top |
| Ukrainian opposition accuses Yanukovich of stealing EU dream Friday, Nov 29, 2013 03:44 PM PST  By Thomas Grove and Pavel Polityuk KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's political opposition said on Friday that President Viktor Yanukovich had 'stolen the dream' of closer integration with Europe as his supporters hailed his decision to spurn a European Union free trade deal. In a sea of blue and gold, the colors of both the EU and Ukrainian flags, some 10,000 protesters chanted "Ukraine is Europe" in Independence Square, the theatre of the Orange Revolution of 2004-5 that thwarted Yanukovich's first presidential bid. The scuffle occurred as police tried to remove passersby near Independence Square to try to clear a pro-EU demonstrator's vehicle from the road. Full Story | Top |
| Venezuela's Maduro vows stricter business inspections Friday, Nov 29, 2013 03:43 PM PST  By Andrew Cawthorne and Daniel Wallis CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro said a stricter wave of inspections for suspected price-gouging would begin on Saturday in an aggressive pre-election "economic offensive" aimed at taming the highest inflation in the Americas. "We're not joking, we're defending the rights of the majority, their economic freedom," Maduro said on Friday, alleging price irregularities were found in nearly 99 percent of 1,705 businesses inspected so far this month. Maduro, who has staked his presidency on preserving the legacy of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, launched a theatrical - and often televised - wave of inspections this month to force companies to reduce prices. He says "capitalist parasites" are trying to wreck Venezuela's economy and force him from office. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine's Yanukovich vetoes EU push to save trade deal Friday, Nov 29, 2013 03:43 PM PST  By Justyna Pawlak and Adrian Croft VILNIUS (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich vetoed last-minute attempts by the European Union to rescue a trade deal that could have been signed at a summit on Friday and would have signaled a historic shift away from Russia, EU diplomats said. Under pressure from Moscow, Yanukovich abandoned plans last week to sign the agreement, preferring closer ties with Ukraine's former Soviet master and dealing a blow to EU efforts to build closer relations with its eastern neighbors. As EU leaders gathered in Vilnius on Thursday for a summit with six countries in eastern Europe and the southern Caucasus, officials from the EU and Ukraine tried to work out a last-minute compromise that could have allowed Yanukovich to sign the trade deal in the near future. EU diplomats told Reuters a preliminary understanding had been reached, but Yanukovich had refused to sign off on it. Full Story | Top |
| With new air zone, China tests U.S. dominance in East Asia Friday, Nov 29, 2013 03:30 PM PST By Greg Torode and Linda Sieg HONG KONG/TOKYO (Reuters) - China's new air defense zone, stretching far into East Asia's international skies, is an historic challenge to the United States, which has dominated the region for decades. For years, Chinese naval officers have told their U.S. counterparts they are uncomfortable with America's presence in the western Pacific - and Beijing is now confronting strategic assumptions that have governed the region since World War Two. China's recent maritime muscle-flexing in disputes over the Paracel islands and Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea and over Japanese-administered islands in the East China Sea has stirred concern and extensive backroom diplomacy in Washington. But it took the events of the last week to spark an immediate and symbolic response from the United States - the unannounced appearance in the zone of two unarmed B-52 bombers from the fortified island of Guam, the closest U.S. territory to the Chinese coast. Full Story | Top |
| Firm says U.S. Navy suspension related to old billing dispute Friday, Nov 29, 2013 03:10 PM PST By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A maritime services company that had millions of dollars in contracts suspended by the U.S. Navy this week says the action stemmed from a billing dispute probed by the Justice Department several years ago, and it hopes to resolve the issue quickly. The Navy said on Wednesday it had suspended all contracts with British-based Inchcape Shipping Services Holding Ltd, a unit of Dubai World, because of questionable conduct. The suspension of Inchcape Shipping's contracts came as the Navy is dealing with a widening corruption scandal involving a separate maritime services firm, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, that has resulted in the suspension of its contracts as well as charges against two Navy officers and a Navy investigator. The Navy has taken action against four other officers linked to the probe, including two senior intelligence officials who were put on temporary leave and had their access to classified data suspended due to allegations of "inappropriate conduct." A U.S. Navy official said on Friday the action against Inchcape Shipping was unrelated with Glenn Defense Marine Asia. Full Story | Top |
| Bank of England's Carney warns house-buyers on rates: newspaper Friday, Nov 29, 2013 02:24 PM PST  Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has warned would-be British homeowners to consider the risks of higher interest rates, amid concerns that rising house prices could create a property market bubble, a newspaper reported on Friday. "Think about the mortgage you are taking on, the debts you are taking on," Carney was quoted as telling The Guardian. "Are you going to be able to service that mortgage five years from now, 10 years from now, if interest rates are higher?" On Thursday, the BoE unexpectedly said it would put the brakes on a scheme launched last year to help boost mortgage lending and would refocus it instead squarely on lending to businesses. Earlier on Friday, data showed British house prices in November rose at their fastest pace in three years and mortgage approvals hit a nearly six-year high last month. Full Story | Top |
| Malian separatist rebels end ceasefire after clashes Friday, Nov 29, 2013 02:19 PM PST By Adama Diarra BAMAKO (Reuters) - Separatist Tuareg rebels said on Friday they were ending a five-month-old ceasefire with Mali's government and taking up arms following violence in the northern city of Kidal. "The political and military wings of the Azawad (MNLA, MAA and HCUA) declare the lifting of the ceasefire with the central government in Bamako," said a statement by Attaye Ag Mohamed, one of the founders of the MNLA groups. A French-led military offensive routed the Islamists but tension remains between the central government and Tuareg separatists demanding an independent homeland they call Azawad. Full Story | Top |
| Obama says 'nowhere to go but up' after HealthCare.gov debacle Friday, Nov 29, 2013 02:08 PM PST By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's popularity has taken a beating over the botched October 1 launch of Obamacare, but in a television interview set to air on Friday, Obama said he believes Americans eventually will appreciate his signature healthcare reform. Reflecting on his poll numbers in an interview with ABC's Barbara Walters, Obama said: "I've gone up and down pretty much consistently throughout. "But the good thing about when you're down is that usually you got nowhere to go but up," Obama added, according to excerpts released by ABC. The interview was taped last week as the Obama administration scrambled to meet a self-imposed November 30 deadline to overhaul HealthCare.gov, the website used in 36 states to shop for insurance under the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare. Full Story | Top |
| Mitt Romney's son helps family of four after SUV crash Friday, Nov 29, 2013 02:07 PM PST By Jennifer Dobner SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - Josh Romney, the son of 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, took to Twitter on Friday to share his role in helping a family whose SUV had crashed into a house in a Salt Lake City suburb. Romney, 38, tweeted a smiling photo of himself standing at the door of the vehicle following the accident on Thursday evening in Holladay. The occupants of the sport utility vehicle - a couple and their two teenage children - were treated by paramedics for minor injuries, said Salt Lake City Unified Police Department spokesman Lieutenant Justin Hoyal. Full Story | Top |
| Obamas welcome White House Christmas tree from Pennsylvania Friday, Nov 29, 2013 02:05 PM PST  First lady Michelle Obama and her two daughters welcomed the official White House Christmas tree on Friday - an 18.5-foot Douglas Fir donated by a Pennsylvania farmer. The tree, which arrived on White House grounds by horse-drawn carriage, will be decorated and displayed in the Blue Room of the executive mansion. Obama told Ladies' Home Journal they planned to dedicate this year's tree to military families. "We're also asking military families to share their traditions, and those will be reflected in the ornaments as well." The tree was donated by Chris Botek, a second generation Christmas Tree Farmer from Lehighton, Pennsylvania. Full Story | Top |
| Yemen president rules out southern split, separatists call rallies Friday, Nov 29, 2013 02:00 PM PST  Yemen's president ruled out ever allowing the partition of the country, challenging southern separatists who called for demonstrations across their territory to press for independence. President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi spoke on the eve of southern celebrations marking the anniversary of the end of British rule, underlined a hardening standoff between his government and the separatists. "Those seeking division ... are seeking only an illusive mirage and self interest and not public or national interests," Hadi said on Friday in a speech carried by state news agency Saba. He spoke two days after a south Yemeni separatist leader and supporters walked out of national reconciliation talks meant to chart a new constitution for the U.S.-allied country, that is also facing a northern rebellion and attacks by one of the deadliest branches of al Qaeda. Full Story | Top |
| Canada mortgage insurer sees less risk, despite bubble fears Friday, Nov 29, 2013 01:22 PM PST  Canada's housing agency said on Friday it has set aside less money to cover bad mortgages as the economy improves, even though concerns about a housing bubble persist. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp (CMHC) said provisions for claims dropped by C$19 million to C$895 million during the third quarter and were down C$101 million for the first nine months of the year as expectations for bad loans fell. "We have seen improvement in the economic indicators that underlie all of that, so for example, unemployment has improved and home price inflation, which obviously influences the severity of claims, has improved as well," Brian Naish, CMHC's chief financial officer, said on a conference call. Lower net claims helped CMHC boost profit by 20 percent in the quarter to C$452 million, and total insurance in force dipped slightly to C$559.8 billion. Full Story | Top |
| Factbox: U.S. holiday shopping surveys - cutting through the noise Friday, Nov 29, 2013 01:14 PM PST For those trying to make sense of who the winners and losers are this holiday shopping season, and what it says about the state of the U.S. economy, there are a plethora of forecasts, estimates and surveys, as well as tons of anecdotal evidence. Investors and Wall Street strategists who follow retail sales provided Reuters with some guidelines to avoid being confused by the deluge of data. Full Story | Top |
| Tents, refugees crowd Lebanese valley - just don't call it a camp Friday, Nov 29, 2013 01:13 PM PST  By Oliver Holmes ARSAL, Lebanon (Reuters) - White tents with "The U.N. Refugee Agency" written on them flap in the wind outside the Lebanese mountain town of Arsal. In all respects, it is a refugee camp, but you must not call it that, say officials. The site is home to about 350 people who have fled the civil war in neighboring Syria - the first officially U.N.-run plot set up for displaced Syrians in Lebanon, complete with running water, toilets and other services. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. extends Iran oil sanctions waivers to China, India, South Korea Friday, Nov 29, 2013 12:54 PM PST  By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department extended six-month Iran sanctions waivers on Friday to China, India, South Korea and other countries in exchange for their reducing purchases of Iranian crude oil earlier this year. The waivers had been expected. Under a law governing sanctions imposed on Iran's disputed nuclear program by the United States, the State Department is required to determine whether the Islamic Republic's oil consumers have reduced their purchases. Full Story | Top |
| Saatchi says has no proof ex-wife Nigella Lawson took drugs Friday, Nov 29, 2013 12:37 PM PST  By Alexander Winning LONDON (Reuters) - Millionaire art dealer Charles Saatchi told a British court on Friday he had no proof that his celebrity ex-wife, TV chef Nigella Lawson, ever took drugs. Earlier this week, two of Lawson's former personal assistants alleged that she was a regular user of cocaine and other drugs as part of their defense in an ongoing fraud trial. Lawson, often nicknamed the "Domestic Goddess" after the title of one of her best-selling recipe books, is a cookery author who is popular in Britain and the United States. Saatchi and Lawson ended their 10-year marriage in July, and he accepted a police caution after newspapers published pictures of him with his hands around his ex-wife's neck at a London restaurant a month earlier. Full Story | Top |
| French carmakers poised for scramble to reclaim Iran Friday, Nov 29, 2013 12:20 PM PST  are among Western firms sending executives to an automotive conference that opens in Iran on Saturday - firing the starting gun on a more overt race for post-sanctions business. The French carmakers are poised to resume vehicle sales in Iran, using a six-month easing of trade restrictions to reclaim their market position before the mass arrival of competitors behind any permanent detente that could follow. Production by Iran's domestic car industry, unusually developed for the Middle East, peaked at 1.6 million cars in 2011, the year crippling new sanctions were introduced. Leading manufacturer Iran Khodro accounted for about half of that output. Full Story | Top |
| EU-IMF postpone visit to Athens in dispute over reforms Friday, Nov 29, 2013 12:18 PM PST  By John O'Donnell, Luke Baker and Harry Papachristou BRUSSELS/ATHENS (Reuters) - Inspectors from the EU and IMF have postponed a planned visit to Greece, officials told Reuters on Friday, a move that marks a new low in relations between the parties and could delay aid payments to Athens. The Greek government said it still expects differences with the troika to be bridged. The decision to postpone the visit may be an attempt by the European Central Bank, European Commission and International Monetary Fund - together known as the 'troika' - to try to bring Athens to heel as frustration grows over Greece's failure to complete the reforms it has promised in return for aid. It is a potential embarrassment for the Greek government, which wants to be able to show it is hitting its targets and bouncing back before it takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union for six months from the start of next year. Full Story | Top |
| Fights, store evacuation mar U.S. holiday shopping rush Friday, Nov 29, 2013 12:07 PM PST  The post-Thanksgiving shopping rush sparked incidents of violence across the United States as a police officer was injured breaking up a fight, a shopper was shot in the leg over a TV and a Walmart was evacuated, according to police and media reports. In White Plains, just north of New York City, an outlet of Wal-Mart Stores Inc was evacuated on Friday, with employees and shoppers saying they had been warned of a possible bomb threat. In Romeoville, Illinois, police shot a suspected shoplifter in the shoulder late Thursday night after the car he was driving dragged an officer through the parking lot of a Kohl's department store, Romeoville Police Chief Mark Turvey said in a video posted by the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Full Story | Top |
| Nigeria says kills more than 50 Islamist insurgents in airstrike Friday, Nov 29, 2013 12:06 PM PST Nigeria's military said on Friday that it may have killed more than 50 Islamist insurgents in an airstrike on one of their main bases in the northeast of the country. The latest strikes on Thursday targeted Boko Haram sect hideouts in the Gwoza hills, near the border with Cameroon. In May, the military stepped up an offensive against the Islamist group, which is fighting to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country split roughly evenly between Christians and Muslims. "We had intelligence that Boko Haram were still hiding somewhere around the Bita bush. Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: U.S. sanctions make Cuba's bank account too toxic for banks Friday, Nov 29, 2013 11:54 AM PST  By David Adams MIAMI (Reuters) - The decision by a New York bank to close Cuba's checking account in the United States has presented an unusual diplomatic quandary that provides a test for new-found pragmatism in relations between the two longtime foes. Cuba announced on Tuesday that it is ceasing almost all consular services in the United States after M&T Bank closed its account, sending shock waves through the booming Cuba-U.S. travel industry and threatening to undermine the Obama administration's goal of closer "people-to-people" ties. Cuba blamed its unusual bank-less status on the longstanding U.S. economic embargo against the communist island, as well as sanctions resulting from it being included on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. Full Story | Top |
| Trudeau's Liberals take comfortable lead in Canadian poll Friday, Nov 29, 2013 11:51 AM PST  Canada's Liberals took a handsome lead in an opinion poll released on Friday, climbing ahead of both the ruling Conservatives and the left-leaning New Democrats, the second largest party in the current Parliament. The Liberals would receive 35 percent of the vote if an election were held today, nearly twice their showing in the 2011 election, and they lead in the three key battleground provinces, according to the Ipsos-Reid poll for CTV News. Support for the Conservatives fell to 29 percent, the lowest since the last election. The Conservatives won a majority of seats in Parliament in 2011 with 39.6 percent of the vote. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine wants financial, economic aid package from EU: Yanukovich Friday, Nov 29, 2013 11:49 AM PST KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich said on Friday that Kiev still intended to sign an association and trade agreement with the EU in the future, but he wanted the bloc to take 'decisive steps' to draw up an economic aid package for Ukraine. Justifying his decision not to sign the agreement on Friday at an EU summit in Lithuania's capital, he told EU leaders in a closed summit session: "Unfortunately, Ukraine in the last while has turned out to be alone in dealing with serious financial and economic problems. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canada competition bureau approves Telus bid for Public Mobile Friday, Nov 29, 2013 11:19 AM PST  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's Competition Bureau said on Friday it would allow Canadian telecom company Telus Corp to buy all of struggling startup Public Mobile. Industry Minister James Moore had approved the sale last month, saying it would not hurt consumers. The Conservative government is eager to boost competition in the wireless sector. "The Bureau will continue to closely monitor the evolution of competition in Canada's wireless telecommunications industry and take action where appropriate," Commissioner of Competition John Pecman said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Benin says frees Nigerian ex-militant after Jonathan intervenes Friday, Nov 29, 2013 11:12 AM PST Benin freed a former militant leader from Nigeria's oil-rich Delta region on Friday after a personal intervention by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, a government spokesman said. Mujahid Dobubo-Asari had been arrested in the West African nation's capital Cotonou on Tuesday. Like Jonathan, Asari is from the Ijaw ethnic group. He is best known for staging attacks on oil infrastructure in the swampy creeks of OPEC member Nigeria that drove up oil prices to record highs in 2004. Full Story | Top |
| Obama to look to Sasha to choose where they live after White House Friday, Nov 29, 2013 11:09 AM PST  President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will take a cue from daughter Sasha on where to live after his second term ends in 2017, and that means that they might end up staying in Washington, ABC News reported on Friday. The president's older daughter, Malia, now 15, will likely be in college but Sasha, now 12, will still be in high school when Obama leaves office. "So we've got to - you know we got to make sure that she's doing well ... until she goes off to college," Obama said according to ABC News excerpts of an interview set to air at 10 p.m. on Friday (0300 GMT on Saturday). But their daughters, who both attend the private Sidwell Friends School, frequently have friends over to the White House, hosting sleepovers and pajama parties on the third floor, their parents said in the ABC interview. Full Story | Top |
| Libya's coastguard picks up almost 300 African migrants Friday, Nov 29, 2013 10:28 AM PST Libya stopped three boats off its coast packed with almost 300 African migrants apparently trying to reach Europe, the state news agency Lana said on Friday. The migrants were taken to detention centers for processing by Libya's department for illegal migrants. Hundreds of people have died in the past two months in the stream of refugees trying to enter the European Union by boat from North Africa through Lampedusa, an Italian island south of Sicily. Many come via Libya, which is struggling with growing anarchy two years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. Full Story | Top |
| EU carbon down 9.4 percent in November as supply curbs seen distant Friday, Nov 29, 2013 09:35 AM PST EU carbon fell 9.4 percent in November as lawmakers advanced a plan to cut supply but were unable to move fast enough to block an influx of government permits depressing the market. The December 2013 EU Allowance ended on Friday at 4.36 euros on ICE, down 7 cents on Thursday's settlement and 51 cents down month-on-month. "It's a case of the auctions and EIB (European Investment Bank) sales coming and coming. Germany's sale of 4 million spot permits on Friday morning was almost three times subscribed, a sale typical of the near-daily government auctions that feed permits into the market at a rate of around 80 million a month. Full Story | Top |
| Men tried to behead soldier on London street, court hears Friday, Nov 29, 2013 09:26 AM PST  By Michael Holden and Costas Pitas LONDON (Reuters) - Two men tried to behead a British soldier in broad daylight on a London street, hacking at his body "like a butcher attacking a joint of meat" in what one said was "eye for an eye" revenge for Britain's wars against Muslims, a court was told on Friday. Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, dragged the lifeless body of Fusilier Lee Rigby, a veteran of the Afghan War, into the middle of the street so that horrified members of the public could see what they had done, prosecutor Richard Whittam said at the start of the men's trial. They deny committing what Whittam called a "cowardly and callous murder" by knocking Rigby down with a car as he crossed a street in Woolwich, southeast London, on the afternoon of May 22 before setting upon his unconscious body with a meat cleaver and knives. Full Story | Top |
| Hezbollah arms suspect gets life in Nigeria, two others freed Friday, Nov 29, 2013 08:59 AM PST A Nigerian court handed a life sentence for illegal arms trafficking and possession on Friday to a Lebanese man suspected of having links with Hezbollah, but it freed another two Lebanese suspects in the case. Judge Adeniyi Ademola struck out all terrorism charges against the men on lack of evidence, noting that being a member of Hezbollah was not enough to be so accused. "Hezbollah is not an international terrorist organization in Nigeria. Secret service agents arrested Mustapha Fawaz, Abdullah Tahini, Talal Ahmad Roda and Hussain Nurudeen Kossdi between May 16 and May 28. Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment