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| Syria talks end first round, government not committed to return Friday, Jan 31, 2014 02:06 PM PST By Khaled Yacoub Oweis and Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - A contentious week-long first round of Syrian peace talks ended on Friday with no progress towards ending the civil war and the government delegation unable to say whether it will return for the next round in 10 days. Darkening the atmosphere further, the United States and Russia clashed over the pace of Syria's handover of chemical arms for destruction. Washington accused Damascus of foot-dragging that put the plan weeks behind schedule, and Moscow - President Bashar al-Assad's big power ally - rejected this. The Obama administration said it was working with partners to ratchet up pressure on Syria to accelerate the process, but stopped short of threatening any action if Damascus did not get the chemical weapons deliveries back on track. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine president signs amnesty but anger remains, currency slumps Friday, Jan 31, 2014 05:11 PM PST  By Richard Balmforth KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's embattled President Viktor Yanukovich on Friday signed into law an amnesty for demonstrators detained during mass unrest and repealed anti-protest legislation, in a fresh bid to take the heat out of the political crisis. But the move by Yanukovich, which demonstrated he remains politically active despite going on sick leave on Thursday, was not likely to be enough to end the sometimes violent anti-government protests on the streets of Kiev and other cities. And TV coverage of a prominent opposition activist showing marks of torture inflicted by mystery kidnappers - along with reports police tried to arrest the man in hospital - fuelled anger that has become so explosive that the army made a rare statement, calling for urgent moves to ease the tension. Many protesters rejected Yanukovich's amnesty outright, because it is conditional on occupied buildings being cleared of activists, and a radical Ukrainian nationalist group behind much of the violence pressed new tough demands on Friday. Full Story | Top |
| Amanda Knox conviction in Italy could spur lengthy extradition fight Friday, Jan 31, 2014 01:35 PM PST  Italy's conviction of Amanda Knox for the murder of her British roommate when the two were exchange students together could spur a drawn-out fight over extradition in the United States, where supporters contend she is the victim of a faulty foreign justice system. If Knox's conviction is ultimately confirmed pending further appeals, her lawyers are expected to argue that the United States cannot send her to Italy in part because of U.S. constitutional guarantees against "double jeopardy," although some experts say that could be a tough case to prove. Knox and her former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were found guilty on Thursday for the second time in the 2007 stabbing death of Meredith Kercher, in a retrial that reversed an earlier appeal judgment that cleared her. Knox, who spent four years in an Italian jail before returning to the United States in 2011, was sentenced to 28 years and 6 months but will not face jail time pending further appeals in Italy. Full Story | Top |
| Christie issues denial as 'Bridgegate' scandal flares up anew Friday, Jan 31, 2014 04:14 PM PST By Edith Honan and Chris Francescani NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former New Jersey official on Friday claimed Governor Chris Christie knew about politically motivated traffic jams as they happened, re-igniting a political scandal that has taken a toll on the prominent Republican. The letter from a former official at the agency that oversees the busiest U.S. bridge sparked a quick response from Christie, who again denied wrongdoing, and prompted a top New Jersey newspaper to suggest the governor could face impeachment. David Wildstein, who resigned his Port Authority post late last year, said in a letter that he had proof of the "inaccuracy" of some of Christie's statements about the so-called "Bridgegate" scandal, which polls show has already started to weigh on Christie's potential 2016 White House bid. Since the scandal first came to light, Christie has denied knowing the cause of the George Washington Bridge lane closings, which occurred after the mayor of Fort Lee declined to endorse the governor in a re-election bid and caused four days of massive traffic jams in that city. Full Story | Top |
| Pentagon to further study four possible East Coast missile defense sites Friday, Jan 31, 2014 04:46 PM PST By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department said on Friday it would conduct environmental impact studies for four possible missile defense sites in the eastern United States but stressed it had not yet decided to proceed with construction. Congress, worried about Iran's efforts to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles, is urging the Pentagon to commit to an East Coast site. Defense officials say current interceptors on the West Coast can defend the country against possible missile attacks, and an extra interceptor site would add enormous costs to a military budget already under pressure. Still, Pentagon officials are proceeding with the environmental impact study required under a directive in the 2013 defense authorization bill. Full Story | Top |
| Indian diplomat's claim of immunity challenged by U.S. prosecutors Friday, Jan 31, 2014 07:11 PM PST  By Chris Francescani NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Indian diplomat whose December arrest led to a major international dispute holds no immunity from U.S. prosecution and should continue to faces charges of visa fraud, Manhattan federal prosecutors said in court papers filed Friday. Devyani Khobragade was arrested on December 12 on charges that she lied to U.S. authorities about what she paid her housekeeper. She was stripped-searched while detained in Manhattan federal courthouse, which led to a diplomatic firestorm between India and the United States that continued for weeks. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's office argues in the court filings that Khobragade is a former diplomat and not immune from prosecution. Full Story | Top |
| Mexican president to seek OK on telecom, oil reform specifics Friday, Jan 31, 2014 01:52 PM PST  Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said on Friday he will send secondary laws that flesh out landmark telecoms and energy reforms for congressional approval as he seeks to boost competition and economic growth. Pena Nieto pushed a series of reforms through Congress last year, which also spanned taxes and education, but the implementation of energy and telecoms reforms requires a separate batch of secondary laws. The move would have risked angering conservative and left-leaning rivals who helped him push reforms through a divided Congress. "During the first days of February, I will send to Congress ... secondary laws regarding telecommunications, economic competition and energy," Pena Nieto said, signing into law an electoral reform that allows for the re-election of lawmakers. Full Story | Top |
| Amanda Knox defiant after second murder conviction Friday, Jan 31, 2014 10:23 AM PST By Susan Heavey and Naomi O'Leary WASHINGTON/FLORENCE, Italy (Reuters) - Amanda Knox vowed on Friday to fight her second conviction for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher in 2007 while the two were students together in the Italian university town of Perugia. Speaking on U.S. television a day after her conviction by a court in Florence, the 26-year-old American said that she would never willingly return to Italy to serve the 28-1/2 year sentence handed down by judges. Knox and her Italian former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were both found guilty of killing the 21-year-old Kercher, who was found stabbed to death in an apartment the two young women shared in Perugia. Knox has remained in her U.S. hometown of Seattle since being released from prison in 2011 after an appeal overturned an original conviction and freed her and Sollecito after four years in custody.l Neither her sentence nor the 25-year prison term handed to Sollecito will have to be served pending further appeals, and a prolonged legal fight is now in prospect. Full Story | Top |
| Help wanted: Obama calls on CEOs to take on long-term jobless Friday, Jan 31, 2014 09:57 AM PST By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday took steps to get businesses and the federal government to hire more of the long-term unemployed, part of his initiatives to get the jobless back to work. "Just because you have been out of work for a while does not mean that you are not a hard worker," the president said at an event at the White House. "It just means you had bad luck or you were in the wrong industry or you lived in a region of the country that's catching up a little slower than others in the recovery." The president met with the leaders of more than 20 big companies which have agreed not to discriminate against the long-term unemployed and signed a memo directing government agencies not to use long-term unemployment as a basis for denying someone a job. "The longer you're unemployed, the more unemployable you may seem." The companies whose leaders Obama met are among about 300 which have agreed to a one-page list of best practices for recruiting people who had been without a job for six months or more, a group which has struggled to find work despite an improving economy. Full Story | Top |
| Six powers, Iran to begin new nuclear talks on February 18 Friday, Jan 31, 2014 10:49 AM PST By Anna McIntosh MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - Six world powers and Iran will begin talks in Vienna on February 18 on a long-term deal for Tehran to curb parts of its nuclear program in exchange for a gradual end to sanctions, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on Friday. "We have agreed that we will start the talks on February 18 at the U.N. building in Vienna," Ashton said after what she described as a "really interesting" meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the Munich security conference. We are looking forward to seeing you in Iran soon," Zarif said. Iran has invited Ashton, who coordinates the nuclear talks on behalf of the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, to visit the country and she has said she will go soon. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. consumer spending rose in December, confidence slips this month Friday, Jan 31, 2014 08:31 AM PST  By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumer spending rose in December, but an ebb in consumer confidence and signs of cooling in factory activity this month suggested economic growth could moderate in the first quarter. The Commerce Department said on Friday that consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, increased 0.4 percent after advancing 0.6 percent in November. While December's increase provided a firmer base for first-quarter spending, weak income growth could erode momentum. "The inability of income growth to keep pace with the increase in consumer expenditure places the sustainability of recent expenditure-driven economic growth into question," said Gennadiy Goldberg, an economist at TD Securities in New York. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine president signs amnesty but anger remains, currency slumps Friday, Jan 31, 2014 11:44 AM PST By Richard Balmforth KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's embattled President Viktor Yanukovich on Friday signed into law an amnesty for demonstrators detained during mass unrest and repealed anti-protest legislation, in a fresh bid to take the heat out of the political crisis. But the move by Yanukovich, which demonstrated he remains politically active despite going on sick leave on Thursday, was not likely to be enough to end the sometimes violent anti-government protests on the streets of Kiev and other cities. And TV coverage of a prominent opposition activist showing marks of torture inflicted by mystery kidnappers - along with reports police tried to arrest the man in hospital - fuelled anger that has become so explosive that the army made a rare statement, calling for urgent moves to ease the tension. Many protesters rejected Yanukovich's amnesty outright, because it is conditional on occupied buildings being cleared of activists, and a radical Ukrainian nationalist group behind much of the violence pressed new tough demands on Friday. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: South Sudan rebel leader says government derailing peace talks Friday, Jan 31, 2014 11:40 AM PST  By Goran Tomasevic JONGLEI STATE, South Sudan (Reuters) - South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar accused the government on Friday of ethnic cleansing and trying to sabotage peace talks, in his first face-to-face interview since fighting erupted late last year in Africa's youngest nation. Dressed in dark green military fatigues and speaking to Reuters in his bush hideout, Machar branded President Salva Kiir a discredited leader who had lost the people's trust and should resign. "Salva Kiir has committed atrocities in Juba, he has engaged in ethnic cleansing and he is still involved in the process," Machar said. His comments highlighted the gulf between the sides, who are meant to resume their troubled peace talks in Ethiopia next week. Full Story | Top |
| Ex-official says Christie knew about bridge lane closures -report Friday, Jan 31, 2014 02:40 PM PST By Edith Honan and Chris Francescani NEW YORK (Reuters) - The former New Jersey official at the center of a political scandal dogging Governor Chris Christie said on Friday the prominent Republican knew about a traffic jam orchestrated by his top aides during the blockage, the New York Times reported. Christie, seen as a 2016 White House hopeful, has repeatedly denied any knowledge of a plan to snarl traffic at the busy George Washington Bridge as political retribution and severed ties with several top aides over their role in the incident. David Wildstein, who resigned his post at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey late last year, said he had evidence that proves Christie had knowledge of the jams "during the period when the lanes were closed," according to a letter sent to the authority's lawyer and released to the newspaper. The closures last September caused four days of severe traffic jams for commuters and residents of Fort Lee, New Jersey, whose mayor declined to endorse Christie's re-election campaign, and prompted official investigations into the role of the governor's office. Full Story | Top |
| British lawmakers thwart Cameron's bid for EU referendum law Friday, Jan 31, 2014 10:17 AM PST  By William James LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron suffered a setback on Friday when his bid to enshrine the promise of a referendum on Britain's European Union membership in law was thwarted by senior lawmakers. Nevertheless Cameron's Conservative party said they would try other ways to get the promise - seen as a way to help the prime minister pacify rebellious eurosceptic factions within his party - onto the statute book. Cameron had hoped to use an unorthodox legislative channel in parliament to give legal backing to his promise to hold an in/out EU referendum in 2017 if he wins an election next year. But on Friday members of the upper house of parliament from the opposition Labour party and junior coalition partner the Liberal Democrats effectively killed off that bill by ensuring it would not have sufficient time to pass into law. Full Story | Top |
| In India, would-be Microsoft CEO showed inquisitive streak Friday, Jan 31, 2014 08:55 AM PST  By Sumeet Chatterjee MUMBAI (Reuters) - In his university days in India, Satya Nadella, likely the next chief executive officer of Microsoft Corp, was a relentless questioner. "When all other students will quietly listen to what I would teach, he will ask a lot of questions - 'why does it have to be like this, why can't we do it like this?'," said Harishchandra Hebbar, who taught digital electronics to Nadella at Manipal University. That questioning nature has served Nadella well in his 22-year career at Microsoft, the world's largest software company. His elevation to the top spot at Microsoft would end a five-month search for a tech-savvy heavy-hitter to lead the company co-founded by Bill Gates. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. hopes for 'framework' Mideast peace deal within weeks Friday, Jan 31, 2014 07:28 AM PST  By Matt Spetalnick and Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration hopes to complete a "framework" accord in coming weeks between Israel and the Palestinians and will then seek to negotiate a final peace deal by the end of 2014, the U.S. mediator told American Jewish leaders. Martin Indyk, the U.S. envoy seeking to defy widespread skepticism over the peace effort, said the framework would address core issues in the conflict, including borders, security, refugees and Jewish settlements, according to a participant in Thursday's briefing. However, it would remain vague on the future status of Jerusalem, the participant said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, which includes pro-settler parties, has already shown signs of strain over talks on Palestinian statehood. Full Story | Top |
| Israel wages 'war between wars' as Mideast threats simmer Friday, Jan 31, 2014 07:40 AM PST  By Dan Williams TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Watching old Arab enemies reel with sectarian insurgencies and international diplomacy capping the Iranian nuclear drive, Israel's military is confounded by a new challenge: quiet. The relative tranquility, for Israel at least, poses its own dilemma for commanders tasked with preparing for an array of potentially unpredictable future adversaries while trying to stave off steep cuts to their budget. With no hostile armies massing nearby, Israel's strategic position is "one of the best it has ever been", military chief Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz told the IDC Herzliya college, venue for one of several security conferences held this week. But Islamist guerrillas abound on its borders and the internal strife in neighboring Syria and Lebanon often spills over, raising tinderbox incidents every few days, Gantz said. Full Story | Top |
| Thai polling stations might close if violence mars election Friday, Jan 31, 2014 02:16 AM PST By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Orathai Sriring BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai authorities might close polling booths if violence erupts during Sunday's disputed election, which would further undermine the credibility of a vote that is deemed incapable of restoring stability in the polarized country. The government has vowed to push ahead with the general election despite threats by anti-government protesters, camped out at major intersections in Bangkok, that they will disrupt the polls in an attempt to stop Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's Puea Thai Party from returning to power. The anti-government protesters took to the streets in November in the latest round of an eight-year conflict that pits Bangkok's middle class, southern Thais and the royalist establishment against the mostly poor, rural supporters of Yingluck and her brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in 2006. The main opposition Democrat party, which backs the anti-government protests, is boycotting the election, which Yingluck's party is bound to win but without enough members to achieve a quorum in parliament. Full Story | Top |
| Nadella outran better-known candidates for Microsoft CEO Friday, Jan 31, 2014 03:31 PM PST  By Nadia Damouni and Bill Rigby NEW YORK/SEATTLE (Reuters) - The race to determine the next head of Microsoft Corp looks to have ended where it began, with the software giant poised to take the route of least risk and tap rising internal star Satya Nadella for the job. After a bruising, five-month selection process, the list of contenders was cut to six serious candidates, with the chief executive job nearly going to Ford Motor Co CEO Alan Mulally, an outsider favored by investors lobbying for radical change. If Nadella wins the day, as expected, it will be for his innovative work on Microsoft's growing server and tools business, which provides online computing and storage for companies, said a source briefed on the search process. Nadella is in discussions with the board, and is likely to ask that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates drop his chairman role and help Nadella more closely on technology, two sources said. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. appoints former NYC Mayor Bloomberg cities, climate change envoy Friday, Jan 31, 2014 03:01 PM PST  By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday appointed former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as his special envoy for cities and climate change, in a bid to build momentum ahead of a planned U.N. summit meeting in September. Ban said Bloomberg will assist him in "consultations with mayors and related key stakeholders, in order to raise political will and mobilize action among cities as part of his long-term strategy to advance efforts on climate change." Ban is seeking to re-energize the global climate change debate and boost the United Nations' role. The U.N. role for Bloomberg - a billionaire philanthropist who left office last month - was reported by Reuters on Thursday. Full Story | Top |
| Experts predict Lenovo's U.S. buys will pass regulatory muster Friday, Jan 31, 2014 09:44 AM PST  By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials are likely to allow China's Lenovo Group to buy IBM's low-end server business and Google Inc's Motorola Mobility handset business if it agrees to concessions aimed at protecting U.S. national security, experts said. Computer maker Lenovo has advantages over other Chinese companies that should help it overcome the mutual suspicion between the United States and China over industrial spying and cybersecurity, such as its track record of successful U.S. acquisitions in the past. Lenovo said on Wednesday it would acquire Motorola Mobility, along with some 2,000 patents, for $2.91 billion. The deals will be reviewed by the inter-agency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, to ensure they do not threaten national security. Full Story | Top |
| Middle East peace mediators to meet in Munich Friday, Jan 31, 2014 07:27 AM PST  Top officials from the United Nations, United States, Russia and European Union will meet on Saturday to discuss how they can help U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's drive for a Middle East peace deal, the EU said on Friday. The meeting of the so-called Quartet of Middle East peace mediators will be held in Munich on the sidelines of the annual security conference there. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she would chair the meeting with Kerry, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Quartet envoy Tony Blair, the former British prime minister. Kerry has toiled for six months to push Palestinians and Israelis towards an elusive peace deal to end their generations-old conflict. Full Story | Top |
| As Senate campaigns begin, some Democrats flee Obama Friday, Jan 31, 2014 02:39 AM PST  By John Whitesides WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Spooked by President Barack Obama's low approval ratings, some of his fellow Democrats in tough November election races have begun their campaigns by distancing themselves from the White House and asserting their independence from Obama's policies. In what amounts to a survival-first strategy among embattled Democrats crucial to the party's effort to keep control of the Senate, some candidates in conservative states Obama lost in 2012 are aggressively criticizing his healthcare, energy and regulatory policies. The group includes three incumbent senators, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Mark Begich of Alaska, as well as Natalie Tennant, who is seeking to replace retiring Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. cancels funds for Afghan opinion polls ahead of election Thursday, Jan 30, 2014 10:28 PM PST  By Jessica Donati KABUL (Reuters) - The United States has canceled funding for opinion polls in the run-up to Afghanistan's presidential election after an initial poll in December triggered accusations of U.S. attempts to manipulate the outcome, officials said. A spokesman for the U.S.-funded group Democracy International said on Thursday it and other similar organizations had planned to carry out opinion polls as Afghanistan prepares for the April 5 election. The cut in funding comes as relations between the United States and Afghanistan have been severely strained over President Hamid Karzai's refusal to sign a bilateral security pact that would enable U.S. troops to stay beyond this year. Full Story | Top |
| Insight: Surge in cocaine trade undermines Conde's bid to revive Guinea Friday, Jan 31, 2014 09:24 AM PST By David Lewis CONAKRY (Reuters) - A surge in cocaine trafficking has transformed Guinea into West Africa's latest drug hot spot, jeopardizing President Alpha Conde's efforts to rebuild state institutions after a military coup and attract billion of dollars in mining investment. Locals and Latin Americans long-accused of smuggling are operating freely in the country, some with high-level protection from within Conde's administration, according to Guinean and international law enforcement officials and internal police reports seen by Reuters. Counter-narcotics agents from the United States and other countries, meanwhile, concentrated on smugglers in neighboring Guinea-Bissau, a tiny former Portuguese colony dubbed by crime experts Africa's first "narco-state". However, the U.S. State Department's 2013 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report said seizures in Guinea and cases abroad traced back there show a spike in trafficking since Conde won power at a 2010 election. Full Story | Top |
| Knox and Sollecito convicted again of Briton's 2007 murder Friday, Jan 31, 2014 05:56 AM PST By Naomi O'Leary FLORENCE, Italy (Reuters) - American student Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were found guilty on Thursday for the second time of the 2007 murder of Briton Meredith Kercher, in a retrial that reversed an earlier appeal judgment. The verdict, after 12 hours of deliberations, confirmed Knox and Sollecito's original 2009 conviction. Knox's sentence was increased to 28 years and six months and Sollecito was sentenced to 25 years. Sollecito's lawyer Giulia Bongiorno confirmed that her client would appeal to Italy's highest court, and Knox's lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova said he was "stunned". Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Top Obama aide predicts drama-free U.S. debt ceiling increase Thursday, Jan 30, 2014 08:54 PM PST  By Mark Felsenthal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top White House official voiced confidence on Thursday that Republicans would agree in the next few weeks to lift the country's borrowing limit without using the confrontational tactics that rattled financial markets in past years. White House Budget Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell said she believes there is less appetite on Capitol Hill for the messy fiscal standoffs that have taken place in recent years, such as the 2011 struggle over the debt limit and last October's budget fight that led to a 16-day shutdown of the government. In an interview with Reuters, Burwell pointed to the passage earlier this month of a $1.1 trillion bill to keep the government funded for the next nine months. The vote to approve the budget bill followed an agreement reached in December between Republican Representative Paul Ryan and Democratic Senator Patty Murray that included some deficit reduction along with a modest easing of automatic budget cuts known as the "sequester." She said such deals suggested an interest in staying "away from a path of crisis" and said that bodes well for passage of a debt limit increase. Full Story | Top |
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