Today's Reuters News Headlines - Yahoo! News:
|
|
Euro area crisis threatens EU sovereign ratings: Moody's
Sun,27 Nov 2011 10:27 PM PST
Reuters -  (Reuters) - Moody's Investors Service warned on Monday the rapid escalation of the euro zone sovereign and banking crisis threatens the credit standing of all European government bond ratings. "While Moody's central scenario remains that the euro area will be preserved without further widespread defaults, even this 'positive' scenario carries very negative rating implications in the interim period," the agency said in a report. ...
Full Story | Top |
Pakistan fumes amid conflicting accounts of NATO attack
Sun,27 Nov 2011 11:05 PM PST
Reuters -  ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's military denied reports that NATO forces in Afghanistan came under fire before launching a cross-border attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers over the weekend. "This is not true. They are making up excuses. What are their losses, casualties?" army spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said in a mobile phone text message on Monday. Tensions are running high at a time when deep cooperation is needed between the NATO mission and Pakistan to stabilize Afghanistan as the United States tries to wind up the war there. ...
Full Story | Top |
Voters queue in Egypt's first post-Mubarak election
Sun,27 Nov 2011 10:41 PM PST
Reuters -  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptians queued up to vote Monday in the first big test of a transition born in popular revolutionary euphoria that soured into distrust of the generals who replaced their master, Hosni Mubarak. In the nine months since a revolt ended the ex-president's 30-year rule, political change in Egypt has faltered, with the military apparently more focused on preserving its power and privilege than on fostering any democratic transformation. ...
Full Story | Top |
Obama to press EU leaders over debt crisis
Sun,27 Nov 2011 10:23 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will press European Union officials on Monday to reach a definitive solution to their sovereign debt crisis which is emerging as a major 2012 U.S. election worry. As Germany and France scramble to tighten budget controls across the euro zone, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso will face tough questions from Obama at the White House on how much longer the crisis might go on. ...
Full Story | Top |
Insight: Euro zone staring into the abyss, waiting for ECB
Sun,27 Nov 2011 10:57 PM PST
Reuters -  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The euro zone is staring into the abyss. Unless European leaders agree on a political remedy for their sovereign debt crisis at a December 9 summit, and the European Central Bank then intervenes massively to support government bonds and European banks, the euro may start to unravel. ...
Full Story | Top |
Best Buy a winner as holiday weekend sales surge
Sun,27 Nov 2011 08:21 PM PST
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. retailers racked up a record $52.4 billion in sales over the Thanksgiving weekend, a 16.4 percent jump from a year ago, as early hours and attractive promotions brought out more shoppers, an industry trade group said on Sunday. Among the early winners after the traditional start of the holiday shopping season was Best Buy Co Inc, a reversal from 2010 when the electronics retailer's erroneous bet on 3D televisions led to a disappointing season. ...
Full Story | Top |
Arab sanctions tighten noose on Syria's Assad
Sun,27 Nov 2011 06:51 PM PST
Reuters -  AMMAN (Reuters) - The Arab League approved unprecedented economic sanctions against Syria, isolating President Bashar al-Assad's government over its eight-month crackdown on protests against his rule. Britain said the sanctions could help enlist support at the United Nations for action against Damascus, which launched the crackdown against protesters calling for Assad's removal soon after the uprising began eight months ago. The United Nations says Syrian security forces have killed more than 3,500 people in the crackdown. ...
Full Story | Top |
Germany, France examine radical push for eurozone integration
Sun,27 Nov 2011 05:39 PM PST
Reuters -  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Germany and France are exploring radical methods of securing deeper and more rapid fiscal integration among euro zone countries, aware that getting broad backing for the necessary treaty changes may not be possible, officials say. Germany's original plan was to try to secure agreement among all 27 EU countries for a limited treaty change by the end of 2012, making it possible to impose much tighter budget controls over the 17 euro zone countries -- a way of shoring up the region's defenses against the debt crisis. ...
Full Story | Top |
China kicks off yuan trading vs Aussie, Canadian dollar
Sun,27 Nov 2011 08:30 PM PST
Reuters -  SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's yuan started trading against the Australian dollar and Canadian dollar in the country's onshore foreign exchange market on Monday, the latest currency pairs to be introduced as part of Beijing's efforts to promote the use of its currency. Beijing's wants to expand the use of the yuan for trade and investment, as a way of reducing reliance on the dollar and thereby simplifying the settlement of trade in everything from energy to manufactured goods. ...
Full Story | Top |
Struggling to stay above water
Sun,27 Nov 2011 03:17 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The world economy is on a slippery slope. The euro zone appears to have tipped into a mild recession and the rest of the global economy is struggling to hold onto firm ground. China is slowing, Japan's exports are tumbling. Eastern European countries are wobbling as credit dries up from a pullback in lending by euro-zone banks. In the United States, the improving economic picture has clouded somewhat after a mixed batch of economic data and downward revision to third-quarter growth to 2.0 percent doused some of the optimism for a strong fourth quarter. ...
Full Story | Top |
Last chance to save Kyoto deal at climate talks
Sun,27 Nov 2011 03:35 PM PST
Reuters -  DURBAN (Reuters) - Countries will make a last ditch effort to save a dying Kyoto Protocol at global climate talks starting on Monday aimed at cutting the greenhouse gas emissions blamed by scientists for rising sea levels, intense storms and crop failures. Kyoto, which was adopted in 1997 and entered into force in 2005, commits most developed states to binding emissions targets. The talks are the last chance to set another round of targets before the first commitment period ends in 2012. ...
Full Story | Top |
Italy's Monti in austerity race as IMF role eyed
Sun,27 Nov 2011 03:27 PM PST
Reuters -  ROME (Reuters) - Prime Minister Mario Monti faces a testing week seeking to shore up Italy's strained public finances, with an IMF mission expected in Rome and market pressure building to a point where outside help may be needed to stem a full-scale debt emergency. Monti is expected to unveil measures on December 5 that could include a revamped housing tax, a rise in sales tax and accelerated increases in the pension age. But pressure from the markets could force him to act more quickly. ...
Full Story | Top |
Rage grips Pakistan over NATO attack
Sun,27 Nov 2011 02:03 PM PST
Reuters -  ISLAMABAD/KABUL (Reuters) - Fury spread in Pakistan Sunday over a NATO cross-border air attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and could undermine the U.S. effort to wind up the war in Afghanistan. Sunday night in Pakistan, more than 40 hours after the incident, many questions remained. NATO described the killings as a "tragic unintended incident" and said an investigation was underway. A Western official and an Afghan security official who requested anonymity said NATO troops were responding to fire from across the border. ...
Full Story | Top |
Protests against military rule cloud Egypt election
Sun,27 Nov 2011 10:15 PM PST
Reuters -  CAIRO (Reuters) - Protesters rallied again in Cairo on Sunday to try to evict Egypt's ruling generals, in a trial of strength that has muddied the run-up to Egypt's first vote since a popular revolt deposed former leader Hosni Mubarak. The parliamentary election that gets under way on Monday and Tuesday is the first step in a transfer to civilian rule, promised by the ruling army council that replaced Mubarak. ...
Full Story | Top |
Protests against military rule cloud Egypt election
Sun,27 Nov 2011 10:59 AM PST
Reuters -  CAIRO (Reuters) - Protesters rallied again in Cairo on Sunday to try to evict Egypt's ruling generals, in a trial of strength that has muddied the run-up to Egypt's first vote since a popular revolt deposed former leader Hosni Mubarak. The parliamentary election that gets under way on Monday and Tuesday is the first step in a transfer to civilian rule, promised by the ruling army council that replaced Mubarak. ...
Full Story | Top |
Futures rise in electronic trade on Europe hopes
Sun,27 Nov 2011 04:30 PM PST
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures jumped in early electronic trading on Sunday on the latest round of proposals out of Europe designed to corral the growing euro zone debt crisis. U.S. stocks suffered their worst week in two months last week. The lack of a credible solution to Europe's debt crisis kept investors away from risky assets and downgrades of Belgium and Hungary added to the gloom. Germany and France are exploring radical ways to integrate euro zone countries in order to impose tighter budget control. ...
Full Story | Top |
Exclusive: Key figure in Olympus scandal found in Hong Kong
Sun,27 Nov 2011 06:21 AM PST
Reuters -  HONG KONG (Reuters) - Reuters found a Japanese banker who is a key figure in the Olympus Corp accounting scandal at a luxury apartment block in Hong Kong on Sunday, where he exploded in anger at finally being tracked down. Akio Nakagawa's boutique U.S. investment firm earned a $687 million fee from Olympus for a 2008 deal that made it the biggest advisory payment in history, and which the Japanese camera maker now admits was used to hide investment losses. The whereabouts of the former PaineWebber banker had been unknown until Sunday. ...
Full Story | Top |
Germany, France examine radical push for eurozone integration
Sun,27 Nov 2011 02:58 PM PST
Reuters -  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Germany and France are exploring radical methods of securing deeper and more rapid fiscal integration among euro zone countries, aware that getting broad backing for the necessary treaty changes may not be possible, officials say. Germany's original plan was to try to secure agreement among all 27 EU countries for a limited treaty change by the end of 2012, making it possible to impose much tighter budget controls over the 17 euro zone countries -- a way of shoring up the region's defenses against the debt crisis. ...
Full Story | Top |
Best Buy gets it right, joins early holiday winners
Sun,27 Nov 2011 03:01 PM PST
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Having the right products at the right price at the right time helped make Best Buy Co Inc one of the early winners in what was a record start for U.S. retailers to the holiday shopping season. The electronics retailer, which was one of the biggest losers in 2010, drew in shoppers by being one of the companies that opened its stores at midnight Thanksgiving night, and unlike in 2010, it focused more on having lower prices for big TVs and other popular items. "Last year, they weren't as responsive with their pricing as they needed to be. ...
Full Story | Top |
Arabs impose sanctions on Syria over crackdown
Sun,27 Nov 2011 09:24 AM PST
Reuters -  CAIRO (Reuters) - Arab states voted Sunday to impose economic sanctions on Syria immediately, in response to President Bashar al-Assad's failure to halt a violent crackdown on an eight-month uprising against his rule. Qatar said that if Arab nations failed to resolve the crisis, other foreign powers might intervene. Nineteen of the Arab League's 22 members voted for sanctions that include a travel ban on senior Syrian officials, freezing Syrian government assets, halting trade dealings with the central bank and stopping Arab investment. ...
Full Story | Top |
Analysis: NYSE stokes Wall St battle for "mom and pop" investors
Sun,27 Nov 2011 02:45 PM PST
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The fight for mom and pop's stock orders is getting testy on Wall Street. The New York Stock Exchange wants to give retail investors fractions of a penny in better prices when they trade securities listed there. The plan, unveiled last month, would effectively set individuals apart from funds, brokers and other professionals - who would still pay the publicly displayed prices. It is an effort to induce retail investors back from trading mostly off-exchange at electronic "wholesalers. ...
Full Story | Top |
Shoppers spent more cash over Thanksgiving weekend: NRF
Sun,27 Nov 2011 11:38 AM PST
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters) - More people headed to stores and websites over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and average spending per person rose 9.1 percent as bargain-hunting shoppers scooped up discounts on everything from gadgets to hoodies, a National Retail Federation survey on Sunday showed. The trade group's survey found that a record 226 million shoppers visited stores and websites over "Black Friday" weekend, up from 212 million last year. It defines the Black Friday weekend as Thursday, Friday, Saturday and projected spending for Sunday. The average spending for the weekend rose to $398. ...
Full Story | Top |
Yemen names opposition leader Basindwa as premier
Sun,27 Nov 2011 10:42 AM PST
Reuters -  SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen's vice president named Sunday opposition leader Mohammed Basindwa as the country's new interim prime minister, the state news agency Saba reported, under a deal aimed at ending months of protests which have rocked the country. If the agreement goes according to plan, Saleh will become the fourth Arab ruler brought down by mass demonstrations that have reshaped the political landscape of the Middle East. Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi named Basindwa in a decree carried by the agency. ...
Full Story | Top |
Influential New Hampshire newspaper backs Gingrich
Sun,27 Nov 2011 07:23 AM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New Hampshire's largest newspaper endorsed Newt Gingrich in the Republican presidential race on Sunday, giving the former House speaker a boost in a state where Mitt Romney has been expected to excel. The endorsement validates Gingrich's recent rise as a candidate -- months after many political pundits thought his campaign was as good as over following a series of missteps -- and is a blow to Romney's aspirations. "Newt Gingrich is by no means the perfect candidate," the New Hampshire Union Leader said in an editorial. ...
Full Story | Top |
Putin launches Kremlin bid with swipe at opponents
Sun,27 Nov 2011 06:48 AM PST
Reuters -  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin accepted his ruling party's nomination on Sunday to return to Russia's presidency, while accusing foreigners of funding his political opponents in a reminder of the anti-Western rhetoric that characterized his years in power. Putin, president from 2000-2008 and now prime minister, is expected to easily recapture the presidency in an election in March. But opinion polls indicate a parliamentary vote in a week could loosen his United Russia party's domination of politics. ...
Full Story | Top |
FARC rebels execute 4 military hostages: Colombia
Sun,27 Nov 2011 03:42 AM PST
Reuters -  BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian FARC rebels executed four members of the security forces during a botched mission to free them from a decade as hostages, the most violent act by the group since troops killed its leader Alfonso Cano this month. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which has a policy of killing hostages if troops approach their camps, shot three of the captives in the head and the fourth in the back, President Juan Manuel Santos said. The bodies were found in chains, he said. "These heroes of Colombia sacrificed their lives trying to bring peace to Colombia," Santos said. ...
Full Story | Top |
UN calls for restraint on eve of Congo vote
Sun,27 Nov 2011 08:59 AM PST
Reuters -  KINSHASA (Reuters) - International organizations appealed for calm on the eve of Democratic Republic of Congo's presidential election, after a run-up tainted by violent street clashes and delayed poll preparations. Concerns have been mounting about the central African country's readiness for its second post-war presidential contest, and what impact a troubled vote might have on efforts to stabilize the giant minerals-producing nation. ...
Full Story | Top |
Cold comfort as austerity bites in Europe
Sun,27 Nov 2011 06:35 AM PST
Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - While workers protest against austerity measures on the streets, cash-strapped Europeans are feeling the pain at home, struggling to pay for heating as winter approaches, reviving soup kitchens for the poorest and getting rid of costly pets. The debt crisis now ravaging the euro zone has seen governments cut spending, including to welfare programs, and raise taxes. Unemployment is rising and many Europeans are planning for a bleaker future. ... Full Story | Top |
Germany, France plan quick new Stability Pact: report
Sun,27 Nov 2011 04:43 AM PST
Reuters -  BERLIN (Reuters) - France and Germany are planning a quick new pact on budget discipline that might persuade the European Central Bank to ramp up its government bond purchases, Welt am Sonntag reported on Sunday. Echoing a Reuters report on Friday from Brussels, the Sunday newspaper said the French and German leaders were prepared to back a deal with other euro countries that might induce the ECB to intervene more forcefully to calm the euro debt crisis. ...
Full Story | Top |
Greece may miss 2012 selloff target due to EU crisis
Sat,26 Nov 2011 11:58 AM PST
Reuters -  ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece may miss its target for privatization revenues next year because of the worsening economic climate in Europe, the head of the agency responsible for selling state assets said in an interview to be published on Sunday. Greece's repeated failure to meet budget targets including for privatization revenues has angered international lenders, raising questions about whether they will continue indefinitely to keep the country afloat with bailout loans. ...
Full Story | Top |
NASA rover launched to seek out life clues on Mars
Sun,27 Nov 2011 03:22 AM PST
Reuters -  CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - An unmanned Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from Florida on Saturday, launching a $2.5 billion nuclear-powered NASA rover toward Mars to look for clues on what could sustain life on the Red Planet. The 20-story-tall booster built by United Launch Alliance lifted off from its seaside launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 10:02 a.m. EST (3:02 p.m. GMT). It soared through partly cloudy skies into space, carrying NASA's Mars Science Laboratory on a 354-million mile (556 million km), nearly nine-month journey to the planet. ...
Full Story | Top |
Retailers look to keep Black Friday momentum going
Sat,26 Nov 2011 03:56 PM PST
Reuters -  (Reuters) - U.S. retailers moved from the frenzied start of the holiday shopping season to the next phase on Saturday, hoping to avoid a drop after Black Friday and keep the momentum going during a fitful economic recovery. After featuring the usual deep discounts on Thanksgiving on Thursday and on Friday, retailers were still offering bargains on Saturday as holiday spending is expected to show only about half the growth of last year. ...
Full Story | Top |
Arab states plan to cut commercial ties with Syria
Sat,26 Nov 2011 02:22 PM PST
Reuters -  CAIRO (Reuters) - Arab states plan to cut commercial ties with President Bashar al-Assad's government and freeze its assets in response to violence in Syria, where activists said 42 civilians and soldiers died on Saturday. The sanctions, which would plunge Syria deeper into economic crisis and regional isolation, were drawn up by an Arab League economic committee in Cairo on Saturday and need to be ratified by foreign ministers meeting on Sunday before coming into force. ...
Full Story | Top |
Yemen names interim PM, violence kills at least 25 in north
Sun,27 Nov 2011 12:31 PM PST
Reuters - SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen named an opposition leader as interim prime minister on Sunday under a deal aimed at ending months of protests which have brought the country to the verge of civil war. However, unrest continued to plague Yemen with violence between Shi'ite rebels and Sunni Islamists killing at least 25 people in the north - including six foreign citizens, according to the Sunni side. Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi named as premier Mohammed Basindwa, a foreign minister from 1993 to 1994 who later joined the opposition, the state news agency Saba said. ... Full Story | Top |
NASA rover launched to seek out life clues on Mars
Sat,26 Nov 2011 12:36 PM PST
Reuters -  CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - An unmanned Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from Florida on Saturday, launching a $2.5 billion nuclear-powered NASA rover toward Mars to look for clues on what could sustain life on the Red Planet. The 20-story-tall booster built by United Launch Alliance lifted off from its seaside launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 10:02 a.m. EST (3:02 p.m. GMT). It soared through partly cloudy skies into space, carrying NASA's Mars Science Laboratory on a 354-million mile (556 million km), nearly nine-month journey to the planet. ...
Full Story | Top |
Egypt's ElBaradei turns up heat on ruling generals
Sat,26 Nov 2011 03:20 PM PST
Reuters -  CAIRO (Reuters) - Presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei has offered to lead a government of national unity, raising the pressure on Egypt's ruling generals amid protests demanding an immediate end to army rule. Activists are calling on citizens to converge again in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Sunday, a day before the start of a parliamentary election overshadowed by political turmoil and the threat of violence. The interim government led by Essam Sharaf resigned last week as protests against army rule intensified in Cairo and other cities. The violence has left 42 people dead. ...
Full Story | Top |
Yemen presidential election set for February 21
Sat,26 Nov 2011 02:20 PM PST
Reuters -  SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen's vice president called presidential elections for February 21 on Saturday under a deal aimed at ending months of protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh that have brought the country to the edge of civil war. If the agreement goes according to plan, Saleh will become the fourth Arab ruler brought down by mass demonstrations that have reshaped the political landscape of the Middle East. ...
Full Story | Top |
Pakistan stops NATO supplies after deadly raid
Sat,26 Nov 2011 03:33 PM PST
Reuters -  YAKKAGHUND, Pakistan (Reuters) - NATO helicopters and fighter jets attacked two military outposts in northwest Pakistan Saturday, killing as many as 28 troops and plunging U.S.-Pakistan relations deeper into crisis. Pakistan shut down NATO supply routes into Afghanistan - used for sending in nearly half of the alliance's land shipments - in retaliation for the worst such incident since Islamabad uneasily allied itself with Washington following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. ...
Full Story | Top |
FARC rebels execute 4 military hostages: Colombia
Sat,26 Nov 2011 01:31 PM PST
Reuters -  BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian FARC rebels executed four members of the armed forces during a botched mission to free them from a decade as hostages, the most violent act by the group since troops killed its leader Alfonso Cano this month. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which has a policy of killing hostages if troops approach their camps, shot three of the captives in the head and the fourth in the back, President Juan Manuel Santos said. The bodies were found in chains, he said. "These heroes of Colombia sacrificed their lives trying to bring peace to Colombia," Santos said. ...
Full Story | Top |
Police ban Congo election rallies, at least 2 dead
Sat,26 Nov 2011 02:56 PM PST
Reuters -  KINSHASA (Reuters) - Police in Congo blocked President Joseph Kabila's main rival at an airport in Kinshasa on Saturday to stop him staging an election rally after at least two died in violence across the central African state's capital city. Two days before presidential and parliamentary elections, rival factions hurled rocks at each other and gunfire was heard across town. A Reuters reporter saw one lifeless body on the road to the airport while a U.N. source reported another death elsewhere in town. ...
Full Story | Top |
| |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment