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| Fiat strikes $4.35 billion deal to buy rest of Chrysler Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 04:14 PM PST  By Stephen Jewkes and Deepa Seetharaman MILAN/DETROIT (Reuters) - Italian carmaker Fiat SpA struck a $4.35 billion deal to gain full control of Chrysler Group LLC, ending more than a year of tense talks that have obstructed Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne's efforts to combine the two automakers' resources. The agreement, announced on Wednesday, cements Marchionne's reputation as the industry's consummate dealmaker about a decade after he took the helm of Fiat as a car business newcomer, analysts and bankers said. But it remains to be seen whether a merger will be enough to cut Fiat's losses in Europe. Marchionne's plan to shore up Fiat depends on the ability to share technology, cash and dealer networks with Chrysler, the No. 3 U.S. automaker. Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan president declares state of emergency ahead of talks Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 12:12 PM PST By Carl Odera and Aaron Maasho JUBA/ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - South Sudanese President Salva Kiir declared a state of emergency in two states on Wednesday as his negotiators prepared for peace talks with rebels to end more than two weeks of violence that has pushed the country towards civil war. Kiir called the emergency in Unity and Jonglei states, the two regions whose capitals are now controlled by rebel forces loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar, who Kiir has accused of plotting a coup. The White House has said it would deny support - vital in a country the size of France that still has hardly any infrastructure more than two years after secession - to any group that seizes power by force. The rebel delegation earlier arrived in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa ready for the ceasefire talks. Full Story | Top |
| Jihad Jane: Despite cooperation, U.S. seeks 'decades' in prison Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 12:48 PM PST  By John Shiffman WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pennsylvania woman who called herself Jihad Jane and a teenage accomplice from Maryland provided "very significant" assistance to U.S. authorities in several terrorism investigations but still remain threats to the public, prosecutors say in new court filings. Prosecutors said Colleen LaRose, 50, should be sentenced to "decades behind bars" for her role in a failed 2009 plot to kill Lars Vilks, a Swedish artist who offended many Muslims by drawing the Prophet Mohammed on the head of a dog. After years of delay, the American-born LaRose is expected to be sentenced on Monday in Philadelphia. A similar hearing for Mohammad Hassan Khalid, the youngest person ever charged with terrorism in the United States, is set for Tuesday. Full Story | Top |
| Sunni militants storm Iraq police stations to free prisoners Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 01:07 PM PST  By Kamal Namaa FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Islamist militants stormed police stations in several cities of Iraq's western province of Anbar on Wednesday, seizing weapon caches and freeing prisoners after security forces dismantled a Sunni Muslim protest camp on Monday. The attacks on three police stations in Falluja, Ramadi and Tarmiya represent a serious escalation in the confrontation between Iraqi Sunni groups and the Shi'ite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Full Story | Top |
| De Blasio sworn in as New York mayor, succeeding Bloomberg Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 12:45 PM PST By Edith Honan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bill de Blasio was formally inaugurated as New York City's 109th mayor on Wednesday at a City Hall ceremony where he promised to take "dead aim" at closing the affordability gap he has decried as New York's tale of two cities. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton administered the oath of office on a Bible once used by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The formal midday service was held hours after De Blasio officially took office just after midnight on January 1 in a small ceremony at his home in Brooklyn. He succeeds Michael Bloomberg, who led the city in the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001 and the recession six years later, and whose policies have been credited with making the city safer, greener and more livable. Full Story | Top |
| Palestinian envoy killed by explosion at Prague home Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 12:29 PM PST By Jan Lopatka and Jason Hovet PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Palestinian ambassador to Prague was killed on Wednesday in an explosion that was triggered when he opened the door to a safe, Czech police said. Jamal al-Jamal, 56, died in hospital after the incident at his home on the morning of New Year's Day. "According to information from the investigation so far, this was definitely not a terrorist attack," national police president Martin Cervicek said on Czech Television. Police spokeswoman Andrea Zoulova said an explosive - which may have been part of a security mechanism - went off after the safe was opened. Full Story | Top |
| Doctors, hospitals expect some confusion as Obamacare plans start Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 01:28 PM PST Hospitals and medical practices across the United States braced for confusion and administrative hassles as new insurance plans under President Barack Obama's healthcare law took effect on Wednesday. More than 2 million people enrolled in private plans offered under the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, during the initial sign-up period for health benefits. A spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said there were no hiccups to report in the first day the plans were in effect. Over time, the law - which requires most Americans to buy insurance, offers subsidies to help low-income people get covered and sets minimum standards for coverage - aims to dramatically reduce the number of Americans who lack health insurance, which the U.S. government has estimated at more than 45 million. Full Story | Top |
| Former first lady Barbara Bush remains in Houston hospital Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 01:01 PM PST (Reuters) - Former first lady Barbara Bush was in a Houston hospital for a third day being treated for a respiratory ailment, a spokesman for her husband's office said. Bush, 88, was admitted on Monday to Methodist Hospital in Houston's Texas Medical Center, the office of former President George H.W. Bush said on Wednesday. George H.W. Bush was the 41st president of the United States. The former first lady is also the mother of George W. Bush, the 43rd U.S. president. Full Story | Top |
| The invisible man: Bill Burns and the secret Iran talks Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 07:59 AM PST  By Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The night before a round of high-stakes nuclear talks with Iran, U.S. President Barack Obama told his chief of staff he had "absolute confidence we have the right team on the field." Obama was not referring to his public negotiating team, led by senior State Department official Wendy Sherman, nor even to his secretary of state, John Kerry, who was soon to sweep in from Tel Aviv to join the early November discussions in Geneva. Rather, White House chief of staff Denis McDonough recalled, Obama was talking about a secret group led by Bill Burns, Kerry's discreet, disciplined and self-effacing deputy. At times using U.S. military aircraft, hotel side entrances and service elevators to keep his role under wraps, Burns undertook arguably the most sensitive diplomatic mission of Obama's presidency: secret talks with Iran to persuade it to curb its nuclear program. In picking Burns, seen by his peers as a leading U.S. diplomat of his generation, Obama gave the envoy, who speaks Arabic, French and Russian, a chance to ease more than 30 years of estrangement between the United States and Iran. Full Story | Top |
| Mogadishu hotel targeted by bombs, at least 11 killed Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 02:34 PM PST  By Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Three bombs exploded within an hour outside a hotel frequented by government officials in a heavily fortified district of the Somali capital on Wednesday, killing at least 11 people. The attacks on the Jazira hotel, one of the securest places in Mogadishu, underscore the security challenges facing President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, whose election by lawmakers last year was hailed by many as a way to end two decades of conflict. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the Islamist rebel group al Shabaab has carried out a campaign of attacks over the past two and a half years in Mogadishu. "First we heard a big crash and the security forces immediately opened fire," said Abdullahi Hussein who lives 300 meters behind the hotel. Full Story | Top |
| Fiat reaches deal with UAW trust to buy rest of Chrysler Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 12:15 PM PST MILAN/DETROIT (Reuters) - Italian carmaker Fiat SpA said on Wednesday it has signed an agreement to buy the stake in U.S. automaker Chrysler Group LLC it does not already own, ending months of tense negotiations and allowing Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne to pursue his goal of creating the world's seventh-largest auto group. Fiat will acquire the 41.46 percent stake in Chrysler from a retiree healthcare trust affiliated with the United Auto Workers union, which will receive $3.65 billion in cash for its stake. Additionally, once the deal closes, Chrysler has committed to giving the trust an additional $700 million. The deal is a victory for Marchionne, who wants to merge Fiat and Chrysler and create a more competitive automaker with a broader global reach. Full Story | Top |
| Inter-religious violence kills three in Central African Republic's capital Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 01:55 PM PST  By Serge Leger Kokpakpa and Paul-Marin Ngoupana BANGUI (Reuters) - Clashes between Muslims and Christians in Central African Republic's capital killed at least three on Wednesday as angry residents threw grenades and torched homes, witnesses said. French and African troops deployed in the country have struggled to stop the tit-for-tat violence between Muslim Seleka rebels, who seized power in March, and Christian self-defense militia, clashes that killed more than 1,000 people in December. Full Story | Top |
| Revelers usher in 2014 with fireworks and fruit mist Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 05:45 AM PST By Victoria Cavaliere and Eric M. Johnson NEW YORK (Reuters) - From Sydney to London to San Francisco, revelers welcomed 2014 with extravagant fireworks displays, giant street parties and, in a new departure, fruit-flavored mist. In New York, hordes of people, many decked out in cartoonish hats, waving balloons or ringing bells, shrugged off freezing temperatures and heightened security in Times Square for the annual New Year's Eve street party. Crowds heard musical performances by Miley Cyrus and Melissa Etheridge, who sang John Lennon's "Imagine," and then saw the ritual dropping of the New Year's Eve ball. Full Story | Top |
| Erdogan rallies Turks to thwart 'plot' against nation's success Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 07:37 AM PST  By Daren Butler ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan urged Turks to rally around him in fighting what he termed a dirty plot by foreign-backed elements targeting "the bread on your table, the money in your pocket, the sweat of your brow". "History will not forgive those who have become mixed up in this game," Erdogan said in a televised end of year address devoted almost entirely to a corruption investigation he says has been engineered in police and judiciary to undermine his government and sap its influence in the Middle East and beyond. Full Story | Top |
| Russia's Putin meets Volgograd bombing victims Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 02:05 AM PST By Sergei Karpov VOLGOGRAD, Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin met wounded victims of deadly suicide bombings in the southern Russian city of Volgograd on Wednesday, heaping condemnation on the attacks that raised security fears ahead of the Winter Olympics. Putin flew in before dawn, after vowing in a New Year address to "annihilate" terrorists in uncompromising remarks aimed at Islamist insurgents based in the North Caucasus who have plagued his 14-year rule. "The vileness of the crime - or crimes - that were committed here, in Volgograd, needs no additional commentary," Putin said during the tightly-controlled visit. A suicide bomb blast in Volgograd's main railway station on Sunday afternoon killed at least 18 people, and a second attacker blew up a trolley bus during rush hour on Monday morning, killing 16 and leaving bodies strewn on the street. Full Story | Top |
| Coup-leader president's candidate poised to win Madagascar vote Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 04:46 AM PST  By Alain Iloniaina ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - The candidate backed by Madagascar's coup-leader President Andry Rajoelina held on Wednesday an apparently unassailable lead in the island's run-off vote, which his rival's camp has said was rigged. Former Finance Minister Hery Rajaonarimampianina has won more than 53 percent of the December 20 vote with ballots counted in more than 99 percent of polling stations, provisional results showed. The election, the first since former disc jockey Rajoelina ousted then President Marc Ravalomanana in 2009 with the help of renegade troops, is meant to end a crisis that has driven out investors, cut aid flows and sharply slowed the economy. Jean Louis Robinson, who is backed by exiled Ravalomanana and has 46 percent of votes, this week demanded a recount. Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Scarred U.S. consumers a hard sell for traditional retail Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 03:52 AM PST  By Steven C. Johnson NEW YORK (Reuters) - If there was one lesson from this year's holiday shopping season, it is that many traditional retailers are having to work a lot harder to persuade Americans to open their pocketbooks. "But as incomes rise over time, people spend more on services - travel, entertainment." As data from MasterCard showed last week, it took deep discounts and hefty promotions to spur a 2.3 percent rise in holiday sales between November 1 and December 24 compared with a year earlier. Full Story | Top |
| Thai PM returns to Bangkok as protest showdown looms Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 02:55 AM PST  By Viparat Jantraprap BANGKOK (Reuters) - Embattled Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra returned to the capital, Bangkok, on Wednesday for traditional New Year celebrations in a display of unity alongside military chiefs before a looming showdown with anti-government protesters. Demonstrators who accuse Yingluck of being the puppet of her self-exiled brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, have vowed to occupy government ministries and other key sites in Bangkok in their bid to scuttle a snap February 2 election. The protests since late November have pitted the brother and sister's political machine with its base among the rural poor in the north against Bangkok's conservative elite. It has flared into sporadic violence, and army chief General Prayuth Chan-Ocha refused to rule out a coup after wild clashes outside an election registration center a week ago. Full Story | Top |
| Lawyers claim fraud as Pakistan's Musharraf goes on trial for treason Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 02:25 AM PST  By Katharine Houreld ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Lawyers argued Wednesday that former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf could not receive a fair trial on treason charges, a case that could test the relationship between an increasingly assertive civilian government and the army. Musharraf, 70, faces the death penalty over his suspension of the constitution and imposition of emergency rule in 2007, when he was trying to extend his rule as president in the face of growing opposition. Musharraf, who did not appear in court, says the trial is a politically motivated vendetta. His lawyers say Musharraf cannot get a fair trial in Pakistan because of his history of disputes with the judiciary and the involvement of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif whom he once overthrew in a coup. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. justice grants exemption in contraception mandate challenge Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 08:42 AM PST By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roman Catholic Church-affiliated organizations on Tuesday obtained last-minute court injunctions that give them temporary exemptions from a part of the Obamacare healthcare law that requires employers to provide insurance policies covering contraception. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor granted one temporary injunction to Baltimore-based Little Sisters of the Poor and Illinois-based Christian Brothers Services, plus related entities. Two different appeals courts granted stays in three other cases that had been pending at the high court, filed by various organizations, including Catholic University of America and non-profits in Michigan and Tennessee, according to a lawyer representing the groups. The lower court action meant the Supreme Court did not need to act in those cases. Full Story | Top |
| Japan minister follows Abe to war shrine, pouring salt on wound for China Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 02:37 AM PST  A Japanese cabinet member visited a shrine seen by critics as a symbol of Tokyo's wartime aggression on Wednesday, pouring salt on a fresh wound after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's pilgrimage there last week drew sharp criticism from China and South Korea. Internal Affairs Minister Yoshitaka Shindo said he thought his visit to the Yasukuni Shrine was unlikely to become a diplomatic issue, Kyodo news agency reported. But Beijing and Seoul have repeatedly expressed anger over politicians' visits to Yasukuni, where Japanese leaders convicted as war criminals by an Allied tribunal after World War Two are honored along with those who died in battle. Both China and Korea suffered under Japanese rule, with parts of China occupied from the 1930s and Korea colonized from 1910 to 1945. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. opposes planned release of 88 Afghan prisoners, adding to strains Wednesday, Jan 01, 2014 12:11 AM PST  By Jessica Donati and Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - The United States wants Afghanistan to halt the release of 88 prisoners from an Afghan jail because they pose a serious threat to security, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, adding to strains between the two sides. The United States only recently transferred the prison at Bagram to Afghan control after it had become a serious source of tension with the government in Afghanistan which is fighting a Taliban-led insurgency. Relations with Afghanistan have grown particularly strained over President Hamid Karzai's refusal to sign a bilateral security deal that would keep around 8,000 U.S. troops in the country after 2014, when most foreign forces are due to leave. "The Afghan Review Board has exceeded its mandate and ordered the release of a number of dangerous individuals who are legitimate threats and for whom there is strong evidence supporting prosecution or further investigation," said Colonel Dave Lapan, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Full Story | Top |
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