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| Exclusive: Charter, Comcast in renewed talks on Time Warner Cable bid Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 04:37 PM PST  By Soyoung Kim and Liana B. Baker NEW YORK (Reuters) - Charter Communications Inc reached out to Comcast Corp this week about teaming up to buy Time Warner Cable Inc, after the larger rival rejected its $37.3 billion takeover bid, according to people familiar with the matter. Charter approached Comcast on Wednesday to discuss carving up the second-largest U.S. cable company's systems and subscribers, the people said, asking not to be named because they were not authorized to speak with the media. Charter, the No. 4 U.S. cable provider, and Comcast, the top U.S. cable provider, are in preliminary discussions about how to structure a potential alliance, the people said. One possibility is that Charter buys all of Time Warner Cable and sells off some of its markets and subscribers to Comcast, one of the people said. Full Story | Top |
| Thai protesters target revenue offices, PM awaits graft ruling Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 06:18 PM PST  By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat BANGKOK (Reuters) - Protesters in Thailand trying to paralyze ministries to force the government to resign said they would target revenue offices on Thursday, but their numbers appeared to be dwindling and ministers say the movement could be running out of steam. A state anti-corruption panel is due to give a ruling on Thursday on irregularities in a rice-buying scheme, that the government introduced to support farmers, that could give ammunition to opponents of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt voters overwhelmingly back constitution: official sources Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 05:03 PM PST  By Maggie Fick and Ali Abdelaty CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptians who voted in a referendum overwhelmingly approved a new constitution, official sources said, citing early results of a ballot that could set the stage for army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to declare his candidacy for president. About 90 percent of voters approved the constitution, the state news agency and a government official said. It comes as no surprise: the constitution won wide support among Egyptians who backed the army overthrow of President Mohamed Mursi in July, and there was little or no trace of a no campaign as the state presses a campaign on dissent. Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, which is sure to dispute the official numbers, had called for a boycott of the two-day vote, seeing it as part of a coup against a leader freely elected 18 months ago. Full Story | Top |
| Bank of America fourth-quarter profit rises as bank shakes off financial crisis Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 02:10 PM PST  By Peter Rudegeair and Anil D'Silva (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp said on Wednesday its quarterly profit surged by nearly $3 billion as revenue increased and mortgage losses plunged, the clearest sign yet the bank was shaking off the impact of the financial crisis. "They're showing some positive momentum on growing their customer base and their revenues," said Jonathan Finger of Finger Interests Ltd, a Houston investment firm that owns shares in the bank. "Certainly the stock has been performing very well." Bank of America's shares rose 2.3 percent to $17.15 on Wednesday, after earlier rising to $17.42, the highest level since May 2010. Bank of America has been groaning under the weight of bad mortgages it took on when it bought Countrywide Financial Corp in 2008, just before the housing crisis turned into a full-blown banking meltdown. Full Story | Top |
| Apple to refund at least $32.5 million in disputed kids' app purchases Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 02:46 PM PST  By Diane Bartz and Alina Selyukh WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Apple Inc will refund consumers at least $32.5 million to settle a longstanding complaint that the technology company billed U.S. consumers for charges incurred by children through mobile apps without their parents' consent. Under the terms of the settlement, announced on Wednesday by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Apple also will be required to change its billing practices to ensure it obtains consent from parents before charging for such in-app spending. "Whether you're doing business in the mobile arena or the mall down the street, fundamental consumer protections apply," said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. "You cannot charge consumers for purchases they did not authorize." She estimated that children spent millions of dollars without their parents' knowledge, with one mother telling the agency that her daughter spent $2,600 while playing the game "Tap Pet Hotel." Ramirez said the commission had received "tens of thousands of complaints" from consumers over the unauthorized purchases through apps such as Dragon Story and Tiny Zoo Friends. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Senate hearing urges quicker commodity limits on banks Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 03:52 PM PST  By Anna Louie Sussman WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers at a Senate hearing on Wednesday pushed financial regulators to speed up efforts to limit Wall Street's role in physical commodities markets, pressing for a pivotal policy shift after a decade of deepening trade. The packed hearing, which lasted over an hour, offered senators a chance to delve further into the Fed's thinking, pressing Michael Gibson, its director of bank supervision and regulation, on why the central bank is not moving immediately to impose new rules. "The Fed's proposal yesterday is a timid step, it was too slow in coming, and there is still too much that we do not know about these activities and investments," said Senator Sherrod Brown, who led the hearing. The panel also questioned whether banks should be forced to disclose more about the size and scope of their commodities activities and if banks' involvement in those markets has inflated the costs of key raw materials, such as aluminum. Full Story | Top |
| Deutsche, Citi feel the heat of widening FX investigation Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 11:44 AM PST  By Jamie McGeever LONDON (Reuters) - Global investigations into alleged currency market manipulation intensified on Wednesday as U.S. regulators descended on Citigroup's London offices and Deutsche Bank suspended several traders in New York, sources told Reuters. The presence of Federal Reserve and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency officials at Citi's Canary Wharf office in the east of London this week comes after Citi last week fired its head of European spot foreign exchange trading, Rohan Ramchandani, following a prolonged period on leave, one source familiar with the matter said. Full Story | Top |
| Western, Arab states pledge $2.4 billion in Syria aid Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 08:33 AM PST  By Sylvia Westall and Warren Strobel KUWAIT (Reuters) - Western and Gulf Arab nations pledged more than $2.4 billion on Wednesday for U.N. aid efforts in Syria, where a near three-year civil war has left millions of people hungry, ailing or displaced. The pledge arose from a U.N. appeal for $6.5 billion in 2014, which was launched last month and is the largest in the organization's history. The world body estimates the conflict has reversed development gains in Syria by 35 years, with half its people now living in poverty. But only around 70 percent of $1.5 billion pledged at a similar meeting last year has reached U.N. coffers, hinting at donor fatigue with no end to the bloodshed on the horizon. Full Story | Top |
| House approves $1.1 trillion measure to fund government through Sept 30 Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 02:09 PM PST  By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a $1.1 trillion spending bill on Wednesday that quashes the threat of a government shutdown through September 30 and offers lawmakers a chance to end four years of chaotic, crisis-driven budgeting. The 359-67 vote, reflecting strong bipartisan support in the Republican-controlled chamber, sends the measure to the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate for approval by Saturday. The Senate gave itself three more days to consider the measure by approving an extension of current funding that was due to expire at midnight on Wednesday. The massive "omnibus" spending bill, which funds programs from missile systems to Amtrak rail services, passed with strong majorities of both House Republicans and Democrats. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. economy expanding at a moderate pace: Fed Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 12:49 PM PST  The U.S. economy continued to grow at a moderate pace from late November through the end of 2013, with some regions of the country expecting a pick-up in growth, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday. The findings, compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston from data collected on or before January 6, were broadly in line with economic data ranging from consumer spending to industrial production that have showed a building up of strength in the economy in late 2013. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. judge upholds subsidies pivotal to Obamacare Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 02:25 PM PST  By David Ingram WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A judge on Wednesday upheld subsidies at the heart of President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul, rejecting one of the main legal challenges to the policy by conservatives opposed to an expansion of the federal government. A ruling in favor of a lawsuit brought by individuals and businesses in Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia would have crippled the implementation of the law by making health insurance unaffordable for many people. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman in Washington D.C. wrote that Congress clearly intended to make the subsidies available nationwide under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In 2012 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a requirement of the law, commonly called Obamacare, that most Americans buy health insurance or pay a tax penalty. Full Story | Top |
| Senate panel says attack on U.S. post in Benghazi was preventable Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 03:20 PM PST  By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Intelligence Committee said on Wednesday that the deadly September 11, 2012, attack by militants on U.S. government posts in Benghazi, Libya, was preventable and faulted the State Department for inadequate security precautions. In the months before the attacks on an American diplomatic post and CIA compound in Libya's second-largest city, U.S. intelligence agencies had issued numerous reports warning that security in eastern Libya was deteriorating and that U.S. personnel and posts in Benghazi were at risk, according to a declassified report issued by the committee. But the committee said the State Department "failed to increase security enough to address the threat," even though the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi had suffered two earlier, but less damaging, attacks during the previous six months. Four Americans, including Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, were killed when militants attacked the lightly protected U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi and a better-fortified CIA base nearby on the night of September 11. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Charter makes new approach to Comcast on Time Warner Cable bid - sources Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 03:19 PM PST  Charter Communications Inc reached out to Comcast Corp this week about teaming up to buy Time Warner Cable Inc, after Time Warner Cable rejected its $37.3 billion buyout bid, according to people familiar with the matter. Charter approached Comcast on Wednesday to discuss carving up the second-largest U.S. cable company's systems and subscribers, the people said. Charter, the No. 4 U.S. cable provider, and Comcast, the top U.S. cable provider, are currently in preliminary discussions about how to structure a potential alliance, the people said. One possibility is that Charter buys all of Time Warner Cable and sells off some of its markets and subscribers to Comcast, one of the people said. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. producer prices advance, but inflation still tame Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 11:35 AM PST  By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. producer prices recorded their largest gain in six months in December as the cost of gasoline rebounded strongly, but there were few signs of any sustained price pressures. The Labor Department said on Wednesday its seasonally adjusted producer price index rose 0.4 percent last month, the biggest rise since June, after slipping 0.1 percent in November. The type of economic growth we see in 2014 is likely to lead to a slow normalization in consumer prices, not a fast one," said Laura Rosner, an economist at BNP Paribas in New York. Wholesale tobacco prices typically rise in December. Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: BP's U.S. Gulf oil spill settlement challenges may backfire Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 10:39 AM PST  A year after agreeing to a multi-billion dollar settlement with victims of the 2010 Gulf oil spill, BP is aggressively challenging terms of the deal in a legal strategy that could backfire with the judge who will rule on the company's potentially hefty federal fines. The British oil giant has pushed for multiple reviews by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, complaining the claims system approved by the U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier is overpaying for damages from the country's worst offshore disaster. BP's challenges directly question decisions by Barbier, who presided over the settlement and then himself approved claim terms. Barbier is also handling a separate government case against BP and has wide latitude to assess fines for violations of the Clean Water Act. Full Story | Top |
| Violence kills 75 in Iraq, PM seeks world's support Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 08:42 AM PST By Alistair Lyon BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Bomb attacks and shootings killed at least 75 people in Iraq on Wednesday, police and hospital sources said, making it one of the bloodiest days in months. In the deadliest incident, a bomb blew up in a funeral tent where mourners were marking the death two days ago of a Sunni Muslim pro-government militiaman, police said. In northwestern Iraq, assailants detonated roadside bombs near a bridge in Ain al-Jahash, 60 km (37 miles) south of Mosul as an army patrol was crossing it. Gunmen killed seven truck drivers, kidnapped two and set three trucks ablaze in the mainly Shi'ite district of Maamil in Baghdad's eastern outskirts, police said. Full Story | Top |
| Erdogan tells Turkish ambassadors to spread word of 'treacherous' plot Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 09:09 AM PST  By Tulay Karadeniz ANKARA (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan ordered his ambassadors on Wednesday to confront allies with the "truth" that a graft investigation shaking Ankara was the result of a foreign-backed plot to sabotage Turkey's international standing. Erdogan, visiting Brussels next week, also mockingly rejected European Union expressions of concern about his moves to tighten control over a judiciary he sees as central to the conspiracy. His finance minister said political turbulence may hinder Turkey in reaching a 4 percent growth target this year. What erupted a month ago as a corruption inquiry involving the sons of three ministers and businessmen close to the government has grown into one of the biggest challenges of Erdogan's 11-year rule and damaged Turkey's image abroad. Full Story | Top |
| Puerto Rico Supreme Court halts pension reform, angering governor Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 08:41 AM PST  SAN JUAN (Reuters) - In what Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla called a "dangerous decision," the Puerto Rico Supreme Court late Tuesday halted implementation of a teachers pension system reform as it agreed to hear a lawsuit seeking to have the reform overturned as unconstitutional. The reform, enacted December 24, is one of a series of steps the Puerto Rico government has taken in a bid to retain its investment-grade credit rating, which stands just a single notch above junk-bond status by all three Wall Street credit rating agencies. ... Full Story | Top |
| EU takes aim at Britain, others seeking migration limits Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 08:35 AM PST  By Luke Baker BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission accused countries that want to limit the free movement of people in the European Union of indulging in chauvinism and stereotypes, an apparent reference to Britain's increasingly staunch views on migration. In a speech to the European Parliament on Wednesday, Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso did not refer to Britain or other countries by name, but made his target clear. British Prime Minister David Cameron has repeatedly called for curbs on free movement and stoked concerns about migrants from Romania and Bulgaria heading to Britain in search of work or social handouts, despite little evidence of it happening. Full Story | Top |
| Jail term sought for Turkish policeman who tear gassed 'lady in red' Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 09:16 AM PST By Ece Toksabay ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The "lady in the red dress", hair billowing upwards from the blast of a Turkish policeman's tear gas gun, became a central image of summer anti-government protests across Turkey. An indictment accused police officer Fatih Zengin of using excessive force by spraying the woman from less than a meter away even though she had not been engaged in any provocative acts, Turkish media reports said. The image of Ceyda Sungur, an academic at Istanbul Technical University, being sprayed as she strolled across a central square in a summer dress, bag over shoulder, was shared endlessly on social networking sites and depicted on stickers and posters at protest camps. June's protests began as a peaceful demonstration against plans to bulldoze a park in central Istanbul, but escalated into an unprecedented show of defiance against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's government after police used tear gas and water cannon to try to clear the site. Full Story | Top |
| China confirms hypersonic missile carrier test Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 07:28 AM PST China has flight-tested a hypersonic missile delivery vehicle in a move that was scientific in nature and not targeted at any country, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. They are beefing up military spending and ties with Washington. "Our planned scientific research tests conducted in our territory are normal," the Beijing Defense Ministry said in a faxed response to Reuters. "These tests are not targeted at any country and at any specific goals." The statement confirmed a report by the online Washington Free Beacon newspaper that the hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) was detected flying at 10 times the speed of sound over China last week. Full Story | Top |
| Global press group visits Britain over newspaper freedom fears Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 07:58 AM PST  By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - A global media organization began its first press freedom mission to Britain on Wednesday over concerns about the government's plans to regulate newspapers and its response to the Edward Snowden revelations. The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), based in Paris, said it would be holding meetings with Culture Secretary Maria Miller as part of a visit to Britain to discuss "worrying developments". It said its previous press freedom missions had been undertaken in countries such as South Africa, Libya, Yemen, Azerbaijan and Myanmar, but never before in Britain. "The British government's actions have far reaching consequences across the globe - particularly within the Commonwealth - and any threats to the independence of journalism in Britain could be used by repressive regimes worldwide to justify their own controls over the press." British newspapers have reacted with alarm and anger to plans for a new regulatory system proposed by the government in the wake of a phone-hacking scandal centered around the British newspaper arm of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. The new measures approved last October followed a public inquiry into the press launched in 2011 after revelations that staff at Murdoch's now defunct tabloid the News of the World had illegally intercepted voicemail messages on mobile phones, including those of a murdered schoolgirl. Full Story | Top |
| Thai PM stands firm on election, says protests flagging Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 05:20 AM PST By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Andrew R.C. Marshall BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's government stuck to a plan for a February election on Wednesday despite mounting pressure from protesters who have brought parts of Bangkok to a near-standstill, and said it believed support for the leader of the agitation was waning. Some hardline protesters threatened to blockade the stock exchange and an air traffic control facility if Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra had not stepped down by a deadline media said was set for 8 p.m. (1300 GMT). The political fault line pits the Bangkok-based middle class and royalist establishment against the mostly poorer, rural supporters of Yingluck and her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former premier ousted by the military in 2006 who is seen as the power behind her government. After the meeting, the government said the poll would go ahead as scheduled, and it derided the leader of the protest movement, Suthep Thaugsuban. Full Story | Top |
| Italy may need cabinet reshuffle, deputy PM says Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 05:35 AM PST  Italy may need a cabinet reshuffle, its deputy prime minister said on Wednesday, in comments that may fuel the uncertainty facing Prime Minister Enrico Letta's fragile coalition as it tries to fix an ailing economy and draft a new election law. A reshuffle could increase tensions in Letta's left-right coalition, which has struggled to enact reforms to rescue Italy's economy, the third largest in the euro zone and weighed down by the bloc's second largest public debt after Greece. But some supporters of a reshuffle say it may be the best way to disarm criticism of the government's record from Matteo Renzi, the new leader of Letta's center-left Democratic Party (PD) by giving him a bigger stake in the coalition's success. Asked about a reshuffle, Deputy Prime Minister Angelino Alfano told Rai radio: "Everybody wants it, but no one admits it." "There is support for changing some ministers and when Letta returns today from his international mission to Mexico he must take up the burden of working out a (new) composition." Renzi, who is also mayor of Florence, has used his clout since his election as PD leader last month to criticize the government and to propose new policies, undermining Letta's authority. Full Story | Top |
| Britain says no evidence yet of SAS role in Golden Temple attack Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 05:03 AM PST  British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday he had not so far seen any evidence that the government of Margaret Thatcher had helped India plan a deadly attack against Sikh separatists in the Golden Temple at Amritsar in 1984. Cameron ordered a review into the matter after newly released official papers suggested that Thatcher, then prime minister, had sent an officer in Britain's elite SAS special air service to advise the Indians on the raid. "I would note that so far there has not been any evidence to contradict the insistence by senior Indian army commanders responsible at the time that the responsibility for this was planned and carried out solely by the Indian Army," Cameron told parliament. Sikh groups have said they were shocked by the idea that Britain may have been involved in the attack, a bloody episode which angered Sikhs around the world and triggered the revenge assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Full Story | Top |
| BoE's Carney to visit Scotland as independence campaign heats up Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 03:33 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Bank of England Governor Mark Carney will travel to Scotland this month where he is expected to make his first comments on issues relating to September's referendum on Scottish independence with the economy ranked as the key issue by voters. Carney is due to make a speech to the Scottish Council for Development and Industry in Edinburgh on January 29, according to the association's website. It will be his first visit to Scotland since he took over the British central bank last July. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian rebels kill Belgian commander linked to al Qaeda: activists Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 07:00 AM PST A Belgian commander of al Qaeda-linked forces in Syria was killed in fierce clashes between rival rebel groups for the northern town of Saraqeb on Wednesday, activists said. Supporters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant however denied reports that the local Saraqeb "emir", known as Abu Baraa al-Jazairi, had been killed. An array of Syrian rebel groups, including the large alliance known as the Islamic Front, have been trying to push out ISIL, a small but powerful affiliate of al Qaeda with a core of foreign fighters. Full Story | Top |
| China confirms hypersonic missile carrier test Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 05:45 AM PST China has flight-tested a hypersonic missile delivery vehicle in a move that was scientific in nature and not targeted at any country, the Defense Ministry said on Monday. They are beefing up military spending and ties with Washington. "Our planned scientific research tests conducted in our territory are normal," the Beijing Defense Ministry said in a faxed response to Reuters. "These tests are not targeted at any country and at any specific goals." The statement confirmed a report by the online Washington Free Beacon newspaper that the hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) was detected flying at 10 times the speed of sound over China last week. Full Story | Top |
| Obama unveils manufacturing hub on North Carolina trip Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 01:25 PM PST  By Mark Felsenthal RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced a new public-private manufacturing hub in North Carolina during his visit to the state, seeking to bolster an industry that he considers essential to raising middle class incomes. The manufacturing hub in Raleigh is a consortium of 18 businesses and six universities that will be led by North Carolina State University and will lead an institute to develop high-power electronic chips. Obama had called for three such hubs in his State of the Union speech a year ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. surveillance drone in Congo crashes: sources Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 02:19 AM PST An unmanned aircraft used by U.N. peacekeepers in Democratic Republic of Congo crashed on Wednesday near the eastern town of Goma, sources at the airport and interior ministry said. The United Nations force started using drones - a first for the world body - last month to help it monitor armed groups operating along Congo's border zone with Rwanda and Uganda. "One of these U.N. drones crashed not long after it took off," a senior official Congo's interior ministry told Reuters, asking not to be named. Full Story | Top |
| Britain's finance minister says EU treaties not fit for purpose Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 03:40 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - British finance minister George Osborne said on Wednesday the legal treaties that dictate how the European Union is run were not fit for purpose and should be changed, saying he was determined his country would reshape its EU ties. "The European Treaties are not fit for purpose," Osborne told a conference in London. "They didn't anticipate a European Union where some countries would pursue dramatically deeper integration than others. Instead of make-do-and-mend, we should make the Treaties fit for purpose." (Reporting By Andrew Osborn; editing by Guy Faulconbridge) Full Story | Top |
| West Bank mosque partly torched in suspected settler attack Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 01:39 AM PST  A mosque in the Israeli-occupied West Bank was partly set on fire on Wednesday in what Palestinian residents said was an attack by Jewish settlers living nearby. The main gate of the mosque in Deir Istiya village and some of the carpeting inside were charred by the flames. The incident comes at a delicate time in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which were revived last year and are set to expire in April. Israeli soldiers entered Deir Istiya after the attack and an Israeli police spokesman said a search for the suspects was under way. Full Story | Top |
| French companies, unions question Hollande's new vision Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 05:36 AM PST  By Mark John PARIS (Reuters) - French business raised doubts on Wednesday over Socialist President Francois Hollande's plan for public spending cuts and structural reform to revive the euro zone's second largest economy. His allies hailed a new "social democrat" vision for France but unions said they were worried about job cuts to the army of state sector workers and far-left politicians accused him of a sell-out as he moved towards the political center. Hollande, who has not denied magazine allegations last week of an affair with actress, deflected questions on his personal life at a marathon news conference on Tuesday unveiling plans to find at least 50 billion euros of spending cuts between 2015-2017 and cut corporate charges by 30 billion euros. The European Commission said the moves should make French business more competitive. Full Story | Top |
| U.S., India meet to get ties back on track after dispute Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 01:39 AM PST  By David Brunnstrom and Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior U.S. diplomat met India's ambassador to the United States on Tuesday with the aim of getting bilateral ties back on track after the arrest and strip search of a female Indian diplomat and tit-for-tat expulsions. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns hosted a "productive" lunch meeting with Indian Ambassador S. Jaishankar and both sides affirmed the importance of the U.S.-India strategic partnership and "discussed initial preparations for a range of upcoming bilateral meetings and exchanges," a statement from the U.S. State Department said. The two officials also discussed matters raised by India's Foreign Ministry during the dispute, including alleged issues with the American Embassy School, the statement said. Burns said Washington took the concerns "very seriously and will continue to address them via appropriate diplomatic channels." The statement said both Burns and Jaishankar "affirmed our shared commitment to continue joint U.S.-India work on issues such as clean energy and climate change, defense, economic and trade engagement, counterterrorism, and civil nuclear development." On Saturday, India blamed the United States for what it called a "mini crisis" over the arrest and strip search of its deputy consul general in New York last month and said more work was needed to repair ties. Full Story | Top |
| Shootout with militants in Russia kills seven before Olympics Wednesday, Jan 15, 2014 09:48 AM PST By Maria Kiselyova MOSCOW (Reuters) - Three members of the Russian security forces and four gunmen were killed in a shootout on Wednesday during a sweep for Islamist militants who have threatened to attack the Winter Olympics that begin in Sochi next month. After two suicide bombings in southern Russia last month, Moscow is on high security alert. President Vladimir Putin has staked much personal and political prestige on the success of the Games, and put security forces on combat footing in Sochi. Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) said the dead militants included a man accused of carrying out a car bomb attack in the city of Pyatigorsk late last year which killed three people. Full Story | Top |
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