Today's Reuters News Headlines - Yahoo! News:
|
|
Lawmakers reach tentative deal to fund government
Mon,12 Dec 2011 08:27 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers moved closer to a deal on Monday to fund the government through next year, potentially avoiding a shutdown that would have further damaged Congress' tattered reputation ahead of the 2012 election. The group of Republican and Democratic lawmakers tentatively agreed on how to fund a wide range of government functions from homeland security to protecting the environment, congressional aides said. ...
Full Story | Top |
Canada first nation to pull out of Kyoto protocol
Mon,12 Dec 2011 06:27 PM PST
Reuters -  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada on Monday became the first country to announce it would withdraw from the Kyoto protocol on climate change, dealing a symbolic blow to the already troubled global treaty. Environment Minister Peter Kent broke the news on his return from talks in Durban, where countries agreed to extend Kyoto for five years and hammer out a new deal forcing all big polluters for the first time to limit greenhouse gas emissions. ...
Full Story | Top |
WaMu settles dispute, eyes bankruptcy exit
Mon,12 Dec 2011 11:25 PM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - Washington Mutual Inc, the biggest bank to fail in U.S. history, said it reached a settlement in a dispute between shareholders and certain creditors that had prevented the bank from emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. WaMu got a respite late on Monday when it said in a court filing that the shareholders represented by an equity committee would drop legal claims against settlement noteholders. ... Full Story | Top |
Fed likely to stay on sidelines at policy meeting
Mon,12 Dec 2011 09:02 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve is likely to hold off offering the U.S. economy fresh stimulus at a meeting on Tuesday as it weighs encouraging signs on the recovery against risks coming from Europe. Central bank officials are expected to continue discussions on how they might sharpen their communications to get more traction out of the monetary easing they have already put in place, but observers rate chances of an announcement as low. Even less likely is the prospect of a new round of bond buying, although many analysts think that will happen eventually too. ...
Full Story | Top |
U.S. lawmakers freeze $700 million to Pakistan as distrust grows
Mon,12 Dec 2011 11:16 PM PST
Reuters -  ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A crisis in relations looked set to deepen after a House-Senate negotiating panel agreed to freeze $700 million in aid to Pakistan until it gives assurances it is helping fight the spread of improvised explosive devices in the region. Pakistan is one of the largest recipients of U.S. foreign aid and the cutback announced is only a small proportion of the billions in civil and military assistance it gets each year. ...
Full Story | Top |
Gloves stay on in Gingrich-Huntsman N.H. debate
Mon,12 Dec 2011 07:30 PM PST
Reuters -  MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) - The gloves didn't have to come off on Monday night in a Lincoln-Douglas style debate between Republican rivals Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman, who found more agreement than strife on foreign policy issues. The debate pitted the current Republican front-runner against the former Utah governor who is trailing in the dead-last zone among the pack of candidates running to challenge Democratic President Barack Obama in November 2012. ...
Full Story | Top |
Supreme Court to decide Arizona immigration law
Mon,12 Dec 2011 11:50 AM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Monday said it will rule for the first time on one of several tough, new state immigration laws, with a decision coming in the middle of the 2012 presidential election campaign. Potentially deepening political divisions over the contentious immigration policy issue, the court will decide if key parts of an Arizona crackdown can proceed. The ruling could have implications for similar tough laws adopted recently in other states. ...
Full Story | Top |
Euro zone fiscal pact fails to restore confidence
Mon,12 Dec 2011 02:16 PM PST
Reuters -  LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) - A European summit deal to strengthen budget discipline in the euro zone failed to restore financial market confidence on Monday, forcing the European Central Bank to step in again gingerly. The euro fell, stocks slid and borrowing costs for Italy and Spain rose as investors weighed the outcome of last week's summit that split the European Union, with Britain blocking treaty change and forcing euro zone countries to negotiate a fiscal accord outside the Union. ...
Full Story | Top |
Obama says U.S. will be loyal partner for Iraq
Mon,12 Dec 2011 03:37 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With Iranian influence and Syria's instability looming over Iraq as U.S. troops pack up to go, President Barack Obama assured Baghdad on Monday the United States would remain a strong partner beyond the withdrawal. The removal of almost all U.S. forces from Iraq by December 31 has created uncertainty at a time when the region remains roiled by the Arab Spring, and amid fear that a bloody anti-government revolt in Syria could spread sectarian strife into neighboring Iraq. ...
Full Story | Top |
Two Putin-era Russians seek liberal mantle
Mon,12 Dec 2011 11:05 AM PST
Reuters -  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's former finance chief and one of its richest tycoons put themselves forward as candidates to unite liberal and middle-class voters who vented frustration with Vladimir Putin's political dominance by taking to the streets in protest. Alexei Kudrin, a longtime Putin ally forced out as finance minister in September, said he wanted to help create a liberal party to fill a void exposed by Russia's December 4 parliamentary vote, which set off mass protests over alleged fraud. ...
Full Story | Top |
Intel says sales hit by hard drive shortage
Mon,12 Dec 2011 02:30 PM PST
Reuters -  (Reuters) - Intel Corp warned that hard-disk drive supply shortages would hurt its current-quarter revenue, the latest heavyweight in the PC industry to caution about the effects of flooding that has crippled factories in Thailand. The warning sent shares of the world's top chipmaker down 4.8 percent and weighed on Wall Street. Hundreds of people have died in flooding in Thailand that has caused billions of dollars in damages since late July and disrupted international supply chains in the PC and automobile industries. ...
Full Story | Top |
MF Global execs say don't know where the money is
Mon,12 Dec 2011 04:00 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top-ranking executives at MF Global will tell lawmakers on Tuesday that they do not know what happened to hundreds of millions of dollars in missing customer funds, echoing what their former colleague Jon Corzine told Congress last week. MF Global Chief Operating Officer Bradley Abelow and Chief Financial Officer Henri Steenkamp are due to testify on Tuesday alongside Corzine, who resigned last month after the brokerage filed for bankruptcy. ...
Full Story | Top |
Romney, gay vet meet, differ in New Hampshire
Mon,12 Dec 2011 02:42 PM PST
Reuters -  MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) - Republican Mitt Romney probably expected a different scenario in a Manchester diner on Monday when he tucked into a booth to make small talk with an older man wearing a "Vietnam Vet" baseball cap. Romney has been vocal in opposing cuts to U.S. military spending, and chatting up a veteran would seem like an easy warm-up to a day on the campaign trail. But military spending wasn't on the mind of Bob Garon, who served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Garon is gay, and a newlywed. ...
Full Story | Top |
Gingrich, Romney turn up the heat in New Hampshire
Mon,12 Dec 2011 03:53 PM PST
Reuters -  HOLLIS, New Hampshire (Reuters) - The tense campaign between Republican presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney heated up further on Monday in New Hampshire, where Romney's lead in opinion polls has shrunk in recent weeks. The frontrunners for the 2012 Republican nomination to challenge Democratic President Barack Obama campaigned near to each other in the Manchester area. Their biting remarks about one another reflected how New Hampshire - long seen as a lock for Romney, a former Massachusetts governor - now has the look of a competitive primary. ...
Full Story | Top |
Trump debate still on, says conservative U.S. publisher
Mon,12 Dec 2011 03:05 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Conservative publisher Newsmax said it is going ahead with a planned December 27 Republican presidential "debate" moderated by Donald Trump and featuring candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, despite controversy generated by one of its star attractions. ...
Full Story | Top |
Canada says invoking right to quit Kyoto protocol
Mon,12 Dec 2011 02:31 PM PST
Reuters - OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada will formally withdraw from the Kyoto protocol on climate change, Environment Minister Peter Kent said on Monday. "As we've said, Kyoto for Canada is in the past ... We are invoking our legal right to formally withdraw from Kyoto," he told reporters. (Reporting by David Ljunggren and Louise Egan; editing by Rob Wilson)
Full Story | Top |
MF Global execs say they don't know where the money is
Mon,12 Dec 2011 02:31 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - MF Global executives will tell lawmakers on Tuesday they do not know what happened to hundreds of millions of dollars in missing customer funds, echoing what their former colleague Jon Corzine told Congress last week. MF Global Chief Operating Officer Bradley Abelow and Chief Financial Officer Henri Steenkamp are due to testify on Tuesday alongside Corzine, who resigned last month after the brokerage filed for bankruptcy. In prepared testimony, both executives say they are distressed by the search for the funds. ...
Full Story | Top |
Anti-Wall Street activists rally at West Coast ports
Mon,12 Dec 2011 02:26 PM PST
Reuters -  OAKLAND, Calif (Reuters) - Anti-Wall Street demonstrators, confronted by police in riot gear, marched on several West Coast ports on Monday seeking to disrupt cargo traffic and re-energize their faltering protest movement. By singling out port operations from California to Alaska, organizers hoped to call attention again to U.S. economic inequalities, high unemployment and a financial system they complain is unfairly tilted toward the wealthy. The protests disrupted morning arrivals of trucks and dockworkers at some waterfronts, including two terminals effectively closed in Portland, Oregon. ...
Full Story | Top |
Putin ally wants new liberal party after Russia protests
Mon,12 Dec 2011 02:32 PM PST
Reuters -  MOSCOW (Reuters) - A longtime ally of Vladimir Putin called on Monday for the creation of a liberal party to fill a void in Russian politics exposed by mass protests against the prime minister's 12-year rule, and cast himself as its potential leader. Former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin's proposal, if it gains support, could offer a way for Putin to channel discontent and reduce the threat posed by the biggest opposition protests since he took power in 1999. ...
Full Story | Top |
Analysis: Pain may not be over for U.S. banks
Mon,12 Dec 2011 12:37 PM PST
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Even experienced Wall Street contrarians are eyeing the beaten-down U.S. financial sector warily. The sector is down 20 percent this year, by far the worst performer in the S&P 500. The weakness has been so pervasive that the S&P, which is down 1.8 percent in 2011, would be up 3.3 percent on the year if financials were excluded, according to Standard & Poor's Equity Research. Most market participants agree these stocks are set for a rebound over the long term. They still appear too risky for short-term traders. ...
Full Story | Top |
Corrected: Trump mulls options amid presidential debate flap
Mon,12 Dec 2011 01:22 PM PST
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Reality TV star and real estate mogul Donald Trump on Friday said he was unsure if he would still host a Republican presidential debate, which now has only two participants. Trump also issued a statement saying he still might run for the White House as an independent if he does not approve of the eventual Republican nominee. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has surged to the front of the Republican field in recent weeks, and former Senator Rick Santorum are now the only candidates planning to participate in Trump's December 27 forum in Iowa. ... Full Story | Top |
Iran army declines comment on MP's Hormuz exercise remarks
Mon,12 Dec 2011 06:51 AM PST
Reuters - TEHRAN (Reuters) - A member of the Iranian parliament's National Security Committee said on Monday that the military was set to practice its ability to close the Gulf to shipping at the narrow Strait of Hormuz, the most important oil transit channel in the world, but there was no official confirmation. The legislator, Parviz Sarvari, told the student news agency ISNA: "Soon we will hold a military maneuver on how to close the Strait of Hormuz. If the world wants to make the region insecure, we will make the world insecure. ... Full Story | Top |
Majority of Americans would blow whistle: poll
Mon,12 Dec 2011 06:47 AM PST
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters)- Four months after U.S. financial regulators opened a whistleblower office, more than three-quarters of polled Americans said they would blow the whistle under the protections and incentives now offered by the government. According to a poll released on Monday, 78 percent of Americans said they would report wrongdoing in the workplace as long as they could do it anonymously, without retaliation, and claim a monetary award. At the same time, 68 percent of those surveyed did not know the new SEC whistleblower program existed, the survey found. ...
Full Story | Top |
Olympus ex-president personally fired auditor: report
Mon,12 Dec 2011 02:33 PM PST
Reuters -  (Reuters) - Olympus Corp's former president Tsuyoshi Kikukawa personally dismissed the auditing firm that raised objections about the acquisitions used to cover up loss-making investments, the Nikkei business daily reported, citing sources familiar with the ongoing investigations. Olympus used payments to a financial advisory firm connected with its takeover of U.K. medical devices maker Gyrus Group Plc, as well as a portion of the cost of three domestic acquisitions, to offset the securities losses, the paper said. ...
Full Story | Top |
McConnell expects bipartisan deal on tax cut
Sun,11 Dec 2011 02:02 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell predicted on Sunday that Congress will renew a popular payroll tax cut, but it remained unclear how lawmakers will resolve deep differences before the December 31 deadline. While he did not unveil a new deal, McConnell signaled that he and others anticipate having one soon. "We're going to reach an agreement," McConnell told "Fox News Sunday," noting there is "bipartisan support" for extending the tax cut. The 4.2 percent payroll tax that workers pay to fund the Social Security retirement system will return to 6. ...
Full Story | Top |
Pakistani government denies talks with Taliban
Mon,12 Dec 2011 04:17 AM PST
Reuters - ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's interior minister and prime minister have both denied the government is holding peace talks with its homegrown Taliban, according to media, saying it would do so only if the militants first disarmed and surrendered. The deputy commander of the Pakistan Taliban, who have been waging a four-year war against the government in Islamabad, said Saturday that the two sides were holding talks, a move that could further fray the U.S.-Pakistan relationship. But both Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and Interior Minister Rehman Malik denied the reports. ... Full Story | Top |
Insight: The day Europe lost patience with Britain
Mon,12 Dec 2011 08:01 AM PST
Reuters -  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - It was billed as a summit to save the euro. It may be remembered as the day Europe lost patience with Britain, as most of the continent threw its lot in with EU founding members France and Germany and committed to binding their economies ever more tightly. There was plenty of talk of history in the making in the week before the Dec 8/9 gathering of European Union leaders - the eighth this year. ...
Full Story | Top |
Ex-Panama strongman Noriega returns home to prison
Sun,11 Dec 2011 10:05 PM PST
Reuters -  GAMBOA, Panama (Reuters) - Manuel Noriega, Panama's drug-running military dictator of the 1980s, was extradited back to the country on Sunday and taken straight to prison to serve a 20-year sentence for the murders of opponents during his rule. Noriega, now 77, was toppled in a U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989 and has spent the last two decades behind bars, first in Florida and then in France after being convicted for drug trafficking and money laundering. ...
Full Story | Top |
U.S.-listed firms told to reveal Syria, Iran links: FT
Sun,11 Dec 2011 07:43 PM PST
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters) - At least a dozen U.S.-listed companies have been told by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to disclose business activity in and with Syria, Iran and others deemed "state sponsors" of terror by the state department, the Financial Times said on Sunday. The inquiries are part of SEC reviews of companies' investment risks to security holders. Sony Corp, Caterpillar Inc, American Express, Aecom Technology, Iridex and Veolia Environnement are among the companies that received letters from the SEC's corporate finance division, the report said. ...
Full Story | Top |
Obama says to keep standing up to Congress on taxes
Sun,11 Dec 2011 04:01 PM PST
Reuters -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama defended his leadership style on Sunday and said he would keep standing up to Congress as another stand-off over taxes and deficits brewed on Capitol Hill. In an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes," Obama suggested his wife, Michelle, had mixed feelings about their time in the White House but said he had no hesitation about seeking re-election next year, saying he wanted to finish the job of putting the U.S. economy on stronger, and fairer, footing. ...
Full Story | Top |
New U.N. climate deal struck, critics say gains modest
Sun,11 Dec 2011 11:57 AM PST
Reuters -  DURBAN (Reuters) - Countries from around the globe agreed on Sunday to forge a new deal forcing all the biggest polluters for the first time to limit greenhouse gas emissions, but critics said the plan was too timid to slow global warming. A package of accords agreed after marathon U.N. talks in South Africa extended the 1997 Kyoto Protocol - the only global pact enforcing carbon cuts - allowing five more years to finalize a wider pact which has so far eluded negotiators. ...
Full Story | Top |
Dutch architects apologize for 9/11 blast look-alike design
Sun,11 Dec 2011 06:25 PM PST
Reuters -  SEOUL (Reuters) - A Dutch architectural firm has apologized for its design of twin skyscrapers in central Seoul which resemble the exploding World Trade Center towers in New York and have infuriated families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. The blueprint for the luxury apartment buildings was released last week and shows a structure which juts out at the middle to accommodate pools, restaurants, cafes and a gym. Relatives of victims of al Qaeda's September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States have expressed outrage, according to U.S. ...
Full Story | Top |
EU summit may not calm investors for long
Mon,12 Dec 2011 04:17 AM PST
Reuters -  BERLIN (Reuters) - Last week's EU summit went a long way towards forging the closer economic ties needed to prevent future debt crises but markets are likely to judge it as too little and too late to solve the current one. As on previous occasions, the measures are unlikely to calm investors for long. European Union (EU) leaders ended the summit with a historic agreement to draft a new treaty for deeper integration in the euro zone, but analysts and policymakers remained skeptical such long-term steps could solve the crisis that has shaken Europe for two years. ...
Full Story | Top |
Airport search complaints prompt calls for on-site advocates
Sun,11 Dec 2011 02:43 PM PST
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two New York politicians urged the Transportation Security Administration on Sunday to provide passenger advocates on site at airport screenings after four elderly women complained of intrusive searches by security agents in recent months. Senator Charles Schumer and State Senator Michael Gianaris told Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano and TSA Administrator John Pistole in a letter that an on-site passenger advocate would help strike the right balance between security and protecting vulnerable travelers. ...
Full Story | Top |
Online spending stays strong in early December
Sun,11 Dec 2011 12:51 PM PST
Reuters -  (Reuters) - Online spending remained strong in early December, a period that usually marks a lull in the U.S. holiday shopping frenzy, comScore said on Sunday. For the week ending December 9, consumers spent $5.9 billion online, up 15 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to comScore, which tracks Internet activity. E-commerce spending for the first 39 days of the 2011 holiday season reached $24.6 billion, also up 15 percent versus the corresponding days last year, comScore added. Earlier in the season, the day that has become known as "Cyber Monday" saw a record $1. ...
Full Story | Top |
Analysis: Cameron puts Britain offside and offshore in Europe
Sun,11 Dec 2011 04:06 PM PST
Reuters -  LONDON (Reuters) - David Cameron has put Britain offside and offshore in Europe. In his failed last-minute quest for special treatment over financial regulation, the prime minister has taken Britain out of the room where decisions on the future of Europe will be shaped. The consequence could well be a prolonged, bitter parting of the ways between the British and the rest of the European Union, culminating in an acrimonious divorce in which both sides lose. ...
Full Story | Top |
Former Panama strongman Noriega heads home to prison
Sun,11 Dec 2011 02:53 PM PST
Reuters -  PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Manuel Noriega, Panama's drug-running military dictator of the 1980s, left Paris early on Sunday, headed for a prison in his home country to serve a 20-year term for the murders of opponents during his rule. Noriega, now 77, was toppled in a U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989 and has spent the last two decades behind bars, first in Florida and then in France after being convicted for drug trafficking and money laundering during his time in power. ...
Full Story | Top |
French government warns opponents on EU treaty delay
Sun,11 Dec 2011 03:19 PM PST
Reuters -  PARIS (Reuters) - France's imminent election campaign could throw the newly agreed EU plan for budget policy coordination into disarray, the French budget minister said on Sunday, warning that President Nicolas Sarkozy's opponents may stall necessary legislation. "Speed is vital to restore confidence," Valerie Pecresse told Europe 1 radio. "France has to set the example. It has been at the origin of this treaty with Germany and it would be a paradox if it was blocked for three months because there is a presidential election. This is a call for national unity. ...
Full Story | Top |
Medvedev orders Russia poll inquiry, gets insults
Sun,11 Dec 2011 12:18 PM PST
Reuters -  MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Dmitry Medvedev ordered an investigation on Sunday into allegations of fraud in Russia's parliamentary election, one day after tens of thousands of protesters demanded it be annulled and rerun. Medvedev responded on his Facebook site to the protesters' complaints that the December 4 election, won by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia, was slanted in its favor. But he did not mention their calls for an end to Putin's rule and received one insult after another on his Facebook site from people who made clear his reply was insufficient. ...
Full Story | Top |
Insight: The day Europe lost patience with Britain
Sun,11 Dec 2011 03:24 PM PST
Reuters -  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - It was billed as a summit to save the euro. It may be remembered as the day Europe lost patience with Britain, as most of the continent threw its lot in with EU founding members France and Germany and committed to binding their economies ever more tightly. There was plenty of talk of history in the making in the week before the Dec 8/9 gathering of European Union leaders - the eighth this year. ...
Full Story | Top |
| |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment