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| Soldier kills three, wounds 16 before taking own life at Texas Army base Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 08:09 PM PDT  By Lisa Maria Garza FORT HOOD, Texas (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier shot dead three people and injured at least 16 on Wednesday before taking his own life at an Army base in Fort Hood, Texas, the site of another deadly rampage in 2009, U.S. officials said. The soldier, who was being treated for mental health problems, drove to two buildings on the base and opened fire before he was stopped by military police, in an incident that lasted between 15 and 20 minutes, Fort Hood commanding officer Mark Milley said. Security officials said preliminary information identified the gunman as Ivan Lopez, and the shooting was not linked to terrorism. U.S. President Barack Obama said he was "heartbroken" that another shooting had occurred at the Fort Hood Army base and described the situation there as fluid. Full Story | Top |
| Chile orders preventive evacuation of northern coastline Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 08:34 PM PDT SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile's emergency office ordered a preventive evacuation of the coastline in the country's north following an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 late on Wednesday. The Andean nation's navy declared a tsunami alert after the quake, which was initially reported as being of magnitude 7.4. The latest earthquake follows a massive 8.2 magnitude quake shook northern Chile on Tuesday, killing six people and triggering a tsunami with 2-meter (7-foot) waves. (Reporting by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) Full Story | Top |
| Supreme Court's rejection of U.S. campaign funding limits opens door for big-money donors Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 03:00 PM PDT  By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a key pillar of federal campaign finance law by allowing donors to give money to as many political candidates, parties and committees as they wish. The ruling - a 5-4 decision with the court's more conservative justices in the majority - could have an immediate impact on the 2014 midterm elections, in which Republicans are likely to keep control of the House of Representatives and are seeking to gain six Senate seats to take over that chamber. Instead of being limited to giving candidates and party groups a total of $123,200 for the 2014 elections, a wealthy donor who wanted to give the maximum amount to every House and Senate candidate and every political committee in his or her party could now give nearly $6 million, according to public advocacy groups. "It is the right of the individual, and not the prerogative of Congress, to determine how many candidates and parties to support," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, a long-time critic of campaign finance restrictions who is in an expensive battle for re-election and was a litigant in the case. Full Story | Top |
| Amid rate-hike debate, Fed officials eye crystal ball Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 03:27 PM PDT  By Jonathan Spicer and Kevin Gray ST. LOUIS/MIAMI (Reuters) - Two top policymakers said on Wednesday the Federal Reserve was in no rush to raise interest rates and would have to see improvements in the U.S. economy to do so. The comments from St. Louis Fed President James Bullard and Dennis Lockhart of the Atlanta Fed, though not ground breaking, did reinforce the notion that accommodative monetary policies would remain in place for a while to come despite intense market speculation over the timing of tightening. Bullard, speaking to reporters at his branch of the U.S. central bank, said a formal rate rise is "still a considerable distance away." Last week, he told Reuters the hike should come in the first quarter of next year, among the most hawkish predictions of the Fed's 16 policymakers. Speaking in Miami, Lockhart said he thinks the economy will perform that well beginning in the current quarter and continue that trend in coming quarters. Full Story | Top |
| Armed men abduct Chinese, Philippine women from Malaysia resort: reports Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 07:52 PM PDT A Chinese tourist and a Philippine hotel worker were abducted by armed men at a diving resort in Malaysia's eastern state of Sabah, Malaysian media reported on Thursday. The two abducted women were at the resort's jetty on Wednesday night when the men arrived by boat, Malaysia's New Straits Times newspaper cited Eastern Sabah Security Command Director Mohammad Mentek as saying. An employee at the Singamata Reef Resort, contacted by Reuters, confirmed an abduction had taken place, but declined to provide details. The report comes at a time when Malaysia's image has been tarnished in China by negative publicity over its handling of the March 8 disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines flight with 239 people aboard, most of them Chinese nationals. Full Story | Top |
| Worried about Senate, Obama calls 2014 his last campaign Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 06:59 PM PDT  By Jeff Mason CHICAGO (Reuters) - On a politically focused trip aimed at revving up his base and raising cash, President Barack Obama on Wednesday urged supporters to help Democrats keep control of the U.S. Senate and declared this year to be his last campaign. Buoyed by good news over his signature healthcare program, Obama touted proposals to raise the minimum wage and spur job creation that have little chance of passage in Congress during a rally with students in Michigan. Later at a fundraiser in Chicago he underscored Democratic worries about their political vulnerabilities in the Senate and House of Representatives in November congressional elections. "Even though I promised Michelle that 2012 was going to be my last campaign, actually this one's my last campaign," Obama, referring to his wife, told a fundraiser at the private home of longtime donors in his hometown of Chicago. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. senator accuses GM of 'culture of cover-up' in recalls Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 01:36 PM PDT  By Ben Klayman and Eric Beech WASHINGTON (Reuters) - General Motors Co CEO Mary Barra came under withering attack for her company's decade-long failure to deal with defective parts linked to fatal crashes, in a hearing where U.S. Senators accused the company of "criminal" behavior and "a culture of cover-up." Democratic and Republican senators, including some former prosecutors and state attorneys general, challenged Barra's assertion that GM had vastly improved its safety and management practices since emerging from bankruptcy. Repeatedly, she was pressed to explain why GM redesigned faulty ignition switches in 2006 but did not change the identifying part number. "I believe this is criminal," said Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire. Full Story | Top |
| U.S., eyeing exit and mindful of past, keeps distance from Afghan election Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 03:11 PM PDT  By Missy Ryan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ahead of Afghanistan's last presidential election in 2009, the United States used its diplomatic and military muscle to try to pull off a successful vote in a nation expected to define the foreign policy of President Barack Obama. Fast-forward to today: the Obama administration is taking an arms-length approach to Afghanistan's April 5th elections. U.S. soldiers are no longer taking the lead in safeguarding voters across the central Asian country. U.S. officials have steered clear of appearing to pick sides among rival candidates. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. looking for way forward in faltering Mideast peace talks Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 03:50 PM PDT  By Noah Browning RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - The Obama administration scrambled on Wednesday to rescue faltering Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations after what it called "unhelpful, unilateral actions" by both sides. A surprise decision by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday to sign more than a dozen international conventions that could give Palestinians greater leverage against Israel left the United States searching for a way to keep the talks going past an April 29 deadline. "We are disappointed by the unhelpful, unilateral actions that both parties have taken in recent days," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters aboard Air Force One, as President Barack Obama headed to Michigan. He said Secretary of State John Kerry was "in close touch with our negotiating team, which remains on the ground in the region to continue discussions with the parties". Full Story | Top |
| Malaysia PM visits search base for missing jet; sub joins hunt Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 07:31 PM PDT  By Swati Pandey and Niluksi Koswanage PERTH/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's prime minister visited the Australian search base for missing Flight MH370 on Thursday as a nuclear-powered submarine joined the near-four week hunt that has so far failed to find any sign of the missing airliner and the 239 people on board. Najib Razak joined his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott at RAAF Base Pearce, near Perth, where aircrews from seven countries have been flying dozens of missions deep into the southern Indian Ocean looking for debris from the Malaysia Airlines jet. It was briefly picked up on military radar on the other side of Malaysia and analysis of subsequent hourly electronic "pings" sent to a satellite led investigators to conclude the plane crashed far off the west Australian coast hours later. Retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, the head of the Australian agency coordinating the operation, said an international air crash investigation team with analysts from Malaysia, the United States, Britain, China and Australia was continuing to refine the search area. Full Story | Top |
| Chile assesses damage after massive quake, tsunami Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 07:44 PM PDT  By Anthony Esposito and Rosalba O'Brien SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chilean authorities on Wednesday were assessing the damage from a massive earthquake that struck off the northern coast, causing a small tsunami, but the impact appeared to be mostly limited. The 8.2 magnitude quake that shook northern Chile on Tuesday killed six people and triggered a tsunami with 2-meter (7-foot) waves. More than 2,600 homes were damaged and fishing boats along the northern coast were smashed up. The arid, mineral-rich north is sparsely populated, with most of the population concentrated in the port towns of Iquique and Arica, near the Peruvian border. Full Story | Top |
| Alibaba's IPO architect lays out blueprint for e-commerce empire Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 02:48 PM PDT  By Paul Carsten and Matthew Miller HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) - Alibaba, the world's biggest e-commerce company, changed how China shops. Joe Tsai, executive vice chairman of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, sees an Alibaba future that stretches from banking to education, travel to entertainment. Customers will buy mutual funds using Alibaba mobile applications, safeguard homes with Alibaba insurance, and use Alibaba virtual credit cards to order goods from U.S. websites that will arrive on China's doorsteps in 10 days. On March 16, Alibaba said it's planning an initial public offering in the U.S. Analysts say it could be worth more than $16 billion. Full Story | Top |
| Chile assesses damage after massive quake, tsunami Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 02:20 PM PDT By Anthony Esposito and Rosalba O'Brien SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chilean authorities on Wednesday were assessing the damage from a massive earthquake that struck off the northern coast, causing a small tsunami, but the impact appeared to be mostly limited. The 8.2 magnitude quake that shook northern Chile on Tuesday killed six people and triggered a tsunami with 2-meter (7-foot) waves. More than 2,600 homes were damaged and fishing boats along the northern coast were smashed up. The arid, mineral-rich north is sparsely populated, with most of the population concentrated in the port towns of Iquique and Arica, near the Peruvian border. Full Story | Top |
| In campaign mode, Obama touts wages and Obamacare success Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 01:31 PM PDT By Jeff Mason ANN ARBOR, Michigan (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, needing a spark to nudge Democratic voters to the polls in November, pressed his case on Wednesday for job-creation measures that have little chance of passing Congress. With his shirt sleeves rolled up and his suit jacket off, Obama delivered a campaign-style speech to a gymnasium of young people in Michigan in an effort to rev up his base for critical congressional elections, in which his party risks losing control of the U.S. Senate and seats in the House of Representatives. On Tuesday, he announced 7.1 million people had signed up for coverage under Obamacare, his signature healthcare law, which has dogged him for months because of a disastrous rollout and a glitchy website. Obama, who was to headline a pair of fund-raising events in Chicago later on Wednesday, took note of the healthcare enrollment number. Full Story | Top |
| Search for missing Malaysian jet drags on, as probe narrows to crew Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 05:11 AM PDT  By Matt Siegel and Niluksi Koswanage PERTH/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian police have ruled out involvement of any passengers in the disappearance of a missing jetliner, while Australian officials warned bad weather and a lack of reliable information were impeding efforts to find wreckage from the plane. Up to 10 planes and nine ships from a half dozen countries on Wednesday scoured a stretch of the Indian Ocean roughly the size of Britain, where Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is believed to have crashed more than three weeks ago. Malaysia's police chief said the investigation was focusing on the cabin crew and pilots, after clearing all 227 passengers of possible involvement in hijacking, sabotage or having personal or psychological problems that could have been connected to the disappearance. "They have been cleared," national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar was quoted as saying by state news agency Bernama. Full Story | Top |
| One killed, 14 wounded in Fort Hood shooting incident: official Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 04:56 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One person was killed and 14 were wounded on Wednesday in a shooting incident at the Fort Hood military base in Texas, a U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official, who noted the information was preliminary, said he could not confirm the status of the shooter. (Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Peter Cooney) Full Story | Top |
| Russia could achieve Ukraine incursion in 3-5 days Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 11:22 AM PDT By Adrian Croft BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Russia has massed all the forces it needs on Ukraine's border if it were to decide to carry out an "incursion" into the country, and it could achieve its objective in three to five days, NATO's top military commander said on Wednesday. Calling the situation "incredibly concerning", NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe, U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove, said NATO had spotted signs of movement by a very small part of the Russian force overnight but had no indication that this was part of a withdrawal to barracks. Russia's seizure and annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region has caused the deepest crisis in East-West relations since the Cold War, leading the United States and Europe to impose sanctions on Moscow. They have said they will strengthen these if Russia moves beyond Crimea into eastern Ukraine. Full Story | Top |
| Shooting reported at Fort Hood military post in Texas: NBC Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 03:21 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A shooting has occurred at the Fort Hood military post in Texas, NBC TV reported on Wednesday. Fort Hood said in a tweet it had asked all personnel on post to shelter in place. In November 2009, a U.S. Army major shot and killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others during a shooting spree. (Reporting by Washington Breaking News Team; Editing by Peter Cooney) Full Story | Top |
| Ex-JPMorgan trader in 'Whale' scandal open to facing U.S. charges Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 01:53 PM PDT  By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - A lawyer for a former JPMorgan Chase & Co trader accused of helping to hide trading losses tied to a $6.2 billion financial scandal said on Wednesday his client was open to leaving France to voluntarily face U.S. criminal charges. Julien Grout, the former trader, is accused of participating in a conspiracy to hide losses within JPMorgan's Chief Investment Office in London by marking positions in a credit derivatives portfolio at inflated prices. He and another one-time trader at the bank, Javier Martin-Artajo, are considered fugitives by the U.S. government for not coming to the United States to face trial over charges stemming from the so-called London Whale scandal. "We certainly have been making efforts on Mr. Grout's behalf to get him here to face these charges," Weinstein said. Full Story | Top |
| Private-sector hiring breaks out of winter freeze Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 10:36 AM PDT  By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. companies stepped up hiring in March for a second straight month, offering fresh evidence the economy was regaining momentum after a weather-driven lull over the winter. "Whatever impact the weather was having is starting to dissipate and we are starting to see the economy gain traction," said Sam Bullard, a senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities in Charlotte, North Carolina. The National Federation of Independent Business said small business employment increased by an average of 0.18 worker per firm, up from 0.11 in February. Full Story | Top |
| Iran says does not seek indefinite power for Assad Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 12:25 PM PDT  By Michelle Moghtader ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Iran, Syria's main regional ally, does not see President Bashar al-Assad staying in power indefinitely but neither does it want "extremist forces" to replace him, a senior Iranian diplomat said on Wednesday. Amir Abdollahian, deputy foreign minister for Arab and African Affairs, added in an interview Iran hoped to have talks in a month or so with Saudi Arabia, Tehran's regional rival, to address their differences about the Middle East. Asked about Iranian activities in several Arab countries, he told Reuters that stability, peace and development "in Yemen, Bahrain, Syria and any other country in the region will help the interests and security of the Islamic Republic of Iran". Full Story | Top |
| Putin officially divorces his wife Lyudmila: Kremlin Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 11:55 AM PDT  Russian President Vladimir Putin has formally divorced his wife Lyudmila after more than 30 years of marriage, Kremlin spokesman said on Wednesday, following a surprise breakup announcement last year. "The divorce has taken place," Dmitry Peskov said, without giving any further details. Putin and his wife announced that their marriage was over last June in a live broadcast on Russian state television, confirming longstanding speculation that they had separated. The Kremlin made clear at the time that their breakup had yet to be formalized. Full Story | Top |
| Bombs kill two, including police officer, at Cairo University Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 01:25 PM PDT  By Stephen Kalin CAIRO (Reuters) - Explosions outside Cairo University killed two people including a police brigadier-general on Wednesday in what appeared to be a militant attack targeting security forces. A group calling itself Ajnad Misr, or Soldiers of Egypt, claimed responsibility for the blasts, which follow a string of operations launched against police and soldiers since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in July. The fast-growing insurgency threatens the security of the most populous Arab nation ahead of a presidential election in May - as well as the vital tourist industry. Hours after the explosions in an upmarket area near the zoo in Giza, a high-level government security committee said it would present legislation "connected to combating terrorism" for the cabinet's approval on Thursday, without going into further details. Full Story | Top |
| Attack on Yemen army HQ kills six soldiers, three militants Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 11:05 AM PDT  By Mohammed Mukhashaf ADEN (Reuters) - Ten suspected Islamist militants and six soldiers died during a suicide bombing and assault on the main military headquarters in Aden on Wednesday, Yemen's Defence Ministry said. The attack bore the hallmarks of previous assaults on military installations by al Qaeda, including one on the Defence Ministry compound in Sanaa in December and an earlier assault on the headquarters of the Second Division in Hadramout province. Full Story | Top |
| Iran, Russia working to seal $20 billion oil-for-goods deal: sources Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 09:48 AM PDT By Jonathan Saul and Parisa Hafezi LONDON/ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran and Russia have made progress towards an oil-for-goods deal sources said would be worth up to $20 billion, which would enable Tehran to boost vital energy exports in defiance of Western sanctions, people familiar with the negotiations told Reuters. In January Reuters reported Moscow and Tehran were discussing a barter deal that would see Moscow buy up to 500,000 barrels a day of Iranian oil in exchange for Russian equipment and goods. The White House has said such a deal would raise "serious concerns" and would be inconsistent with the nuclear talks between world powers and Iran. A Russian source said Moscow had "prepared all documents from its side", adding that completion of a deal was awaiting agreement on what oil price to lock in. Full Story | Top |
| Apple in talks to buy Japan chip venture to secure iPhone supply chain Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 12:14 PM PDT  By Reiji Murai TOKYO (Reuters) - Apple Inc, seeking to secure its mobile supply chain, has opened discussions to buy control of a Japanese venture that makes key microchips for its iPhone screens, sources familiar with the matter say. The talks on what would be a rare acquisition in Japan for the U.S. technology giant come as competition heats up in the smartphone industry, with pressure to produce larger, sharper and less battery-draining screens. Apple's once undisputed command of the global mobile electronics supply chain has diminished in past years as Samsung Electronics Co and other manufacturers that make smartphones powered by Google Inc's Android began to dominate the market. That makes the advanced chips made by the Renesas Electronics Corp division all the more valuable in future. Full Story | Top |
| If Modi wins election, neighbors can expect a more muscular India Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 09:40 AM PDT  (This March 30 story corrects title of Indian official in paragraph 19 to make clear he was consul-general and not ambassador) By Sanjeev Miglani NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will get tougher on territorial disputes with China and in its old rivalry with Pakistan if opposition leader Narendra Modi becomes the prime minister in May after a general election, two of his aides said. On the campaign trail, he has warned Beijing to shed its "mindset of expansionism" and in the past he has railed against Pakistan, an Islamic state, for attacks by Muslim militants in India. "I swear in the name of the soil that I will protect this country," Modi said at a rally in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh last month, a region claimed by China. India, China and Pakistan are all nuclear powers. Full Story | Top |
| Switzerland snubs U.S. effort to sanction Russian billionaires Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 09:21 AM PDT Russian officials sanctioned by the European Union will be barred from new business interests in Switzerland but billionaires included on the U.S. sanctions list face no restrictions, the Swiss government said on Wednesday. Switzerland decided last week against imposing its own sanctions in response to the Ukraine crisis, but promised not to become a place to circumvent sanctions imposed elsewhere. In a statement on Wednesday, it fleshed out its plans to make sure people on the EU list - 33 politicians and security officials - could not use Switzerland to bypass the EU rules, but did not mention those sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury. Switzerland, a global commodity trading and private banking hub, is a popular destination for Russia's wealthy elite and reluctant to take steps it fears could compromise its cherished neutrality or damage closely-nurtured trade ties with Moscow. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. private job growth accelerates in March: ADP Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 05:39 AM PDT U.S. companies picked up the pace of hiring in March, signaling the dampening effects of harsh winter weather on job growth may be fading, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday. Domestic private employers added 191,000 workers in March, slightly below economists' expectations, while gains in the prior month were revised higher, the ADP National Employment Report showed. "It was a nice spring rebound and we had an upward revision for February," said Yelena Shulyatyeva, an economist with BNP Paribas in New York. Full Story | Top |
| Chrysler to recall nearly 870,000 SUVs for brake problem Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 06:04 AM PDT  (Reuters) - Chrysler Group said on Wednesday it would recall nearly 870,000 vehicles to fix a defect in the brake systems following complaints about excessive brake-pedal firmness. Chrysler, a unit of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, said the recalled vehicles will be installed with a shield to protect brake boosters from corrosion caused by water exposure. The company said in a statement Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango SUVs, model years 2011-2014, were under inspection and brake boosters would be replaced wherever necessary. Chrysler said it was aware of one related accident but not of any injuries. Full Story | Top |
| Anti-austerity leftist promoted in French cabinet reshuffle Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 12:32 PM PDT  By Mark John PARIS (Reuters) - A fierce critic of budget austerity was named French economy minister on Wednesday in a reshuffled government packed with strident personalities, including President Francois Hollande's former live-in partner Segolene Royal. Hollande has charged the new cabinet with halting France's economic decline after 22 months in power during which his poll ratings have collapsed to record lows, leading to the trouncing of his Socialists in weekend local elections. While his first government was accused of blandness, this cabinet includes a powerful role for leftist Arnaud Montebourg, known for attacks on big business and the European Commission, who rises from industry minister to take charge of an enlarged economy ministry. The scope for in-fighting also remains high: Prime Minister Manuel Valls has long enraged the French left with his socially conservative positions, while Royal brazenly defied Socialist party grandees to run her ultimately failed 2007 presidential bid. Full Story | Top |
| Indonesian presidential hopeful Jokowi leaps ahead in opinion polls Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 04:56 AM PDT  Already favourite to become Indonesia's next president, Jakarta governor Joko Widodo's popularity has surged since his candidacy for the July election was announced last month, according to the latest opinion polls. Known locally as Jokowi, the Jakarta governor is widely regarded as a shoo-in for top job in the world's third-largest democracy. Support for Jokowi leapt to 45 percent after his party named him as its candidate, from 35 percent before, according to a survey released Wednesday by Roy Morgan International. The survey showed support for rival Prabowo Subianto, a former general, holding at 15 percent, while tycoon Aburizal Bakrie trailed with 11 percent. Full Story | Top |
| Lufthansa grounded by three-day pilot strike Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 05:41 AM PDT  By Victoria Bryan and Peter Maushagen FRANKFURT (Reuters) - A three-day strike by pilots at Lufthansa over early retirement, which has grounded Germany's largest airline, shows no sign of ending early after management said there would be no further talks during the strike period. Lufthansa has canceled 3,800 flights during the strike, which runs until the end of Friday, and says the stoppage will cost it tens of millions of euros. The pilots' walkout is the largest ever to hit the airline and the third strike at Frankfurt airport, Europe's third-largest by passengers, in six weeks after industrial action by security staff and public sector workers. Both Lufthansa and the pilots say they are ready to talk. Full Story | Top |
| Thai court takes on new case as PM Yingluck's legal woes mount Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 02:46 AM PDT  By Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai Court accepted a new case against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Wednesday over her removal of the security chief three years ago, compounding her legal problems after months of sometimes violent anti-government protests. Yingluck's supporters plan mass rallies of their own this week to counter attempts to remove her from office by activists determined to stamp out the influence of her brother, ousted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, seen by many as the real power behind the government. The Constitutional Court accepted a case brought by a group of 27 senators who petitioned it to rule that her removal of National Security Chief Thawil Pliensree in 2011 violated the constitution. Their case is that the prime minister abused her position by moving the security chief to an inactive post. Full Story | Top |
| Japan may only be able to restart one-third of its nuclear reactors Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 11:59 PM PDT  By Mari Saito, Aaron Sheldrick and Kentaro Hamada TOKYO (Reuters) - Three years after the Fukushima disaster prompted the closure of all Japan's nuclear reactors, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is moving to revive nuclear power as a core part of the energy mix, but many of those idled reactors will never come back online. This means Japan is likely to remain heavily reliant on imported fuel to power the world's third-largest economy, straining a trade balance that has been in the red for nearly two years. Hokkaido Electric Power Co and Kyushu Electric Power Co, both facing a third year of financial losses, are seeking capital infusions totaling nearly $1.5 billion from a state-owned lender. Fukushima operator Tokyo Electric Power Co was bailed out by the government after the March 2011 disaster. Full Story | Top |
| Nigeria suicide bombers kill 15 in failed oil facility attack: army Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 02:58 AM PDT Suspected Islamist suicide bombers killed 15 civilians in a failed attack on a state oil company facility in northeast Nigeria, when soldiers at a checkpoint opened fire on their explosive-packed vehicles, the military said on Wednesday. Seventeen civilians and five soldiers were wounded by the blasts on Tuesday which also destroyed eight vehicles, Defense Ministry spokesman Chris Olukolade said. Olukolade said the bombers, believed to be from militant group Boko Haram, were driving towards the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation facility at Mule. Full Story | Top |
| Bitter times for chocolate factory in Russia-Ukraine crisis Tuesday, Apr 01, 2014 11:00 PM PDT  By Elizabeth Piper LIPETSK, Russia (Reuters) - After three years of court cases involving authorities and competitors, Taisiya Voronina thought she had seen everything in Russia's rough and tumble business environment. That was until a final ruling this month sent dozens of armed police and plainclothes officials through the Ukrainian owned chocolate factory she manages in southern Russia. Her factory now shuttered, Voronina, who wants little to do with politics, fears she may become another victim in a struggle for influence between Russia and the West in Ukraine. Her factory workers in the town of Lipetsk suspect they know better. Full Story | Top |
| GM avoided defective switch redesign in 2005 to save a dollar each Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 06:38 AM PDT  By Paul Lienert and Marilyn Thompson DETROIT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - General Motors Co in 2005 decided not to change an ignition switch eventually linked to the deaths of at least 13 people because it would have added about a dollar to the cost of each car, according to an internal GM document provided to U.S. congressional investigators. The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce released the documents on Tuesday as lawmakers asked CEO Mary Barra why GM failed to recall 2.6 million cars until more than a decade after it first noticed a switch problem that could cut off engines and disable airbags, power steering and power brakes. Colorado Congresswoman Diana DeGette cited a 2005 GM document that she said showed a cost of 57 cents per fix. However, Reuters obtained what appeared to be a separate document, a series of 2005 emails between GM engineers debating whether to make a change to the ignition switch. Full Story | Top |
| NATO suspends cooperation with Russia over Ukraine crisis Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014 04:19 AM PDT  By Adrian Croft and Sabine Siebold BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO suspended all practical cooperation with Russia on Tuesday in protest at its annexation of Crimea, and ordered military planners to draft measures to strengthen its defenses and reassure nervous Eastern European countries. Foreign ministers from the 28-nation, U.S.-led alliance were meeting for the first time since the Russian occupation of Ukraine's Crimea region touched off the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russia's actions meant there could be no "business as usual". "So today, we are suspending all practical cooperation with Russia, military and civilian," he told a news conference. Full Story | Top |
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