Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: | | Dutch political parties close to budget deal: media Thu,12 Apr 2012 11:26 PM PDT Reuters - AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch minority government and its ally, the Freedom Party, are close to reaching agreement on between 10 billion euros to 16 billion euros ($13.2-$21.1 billion) of budget cuts needed to curb a bloated deficit, Dutch media reported on Friday. Any package of spending cuts would still need to be evaluated by the government's economic think tank, the CPB, to ensure the measures were sufficient to bring the budget deficit within the European Commission's target of 3 percent of GDP. ... Full Story | Top | Emerging world seeks single candidate for World Bank: Ocampo Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:56 PM PDT Reuters - BRASILIA (Reuters) - Developing nations aim to back a single candidate to challenge the United States for the presidency of the World Bank, former Colombian finance minister Jose Antonio Ocampo said on Thursday, though he did not offer to stand aside in his bid for the job. Ocampo met Brazil's Finance Minister Guido Mantega in the capital Brasilia as he seeks support from Latin America's top economy in a three-way race for the global lender's top seat. Ocampo is running against Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and U.S. nominee Jim Yong Kim, a Korean-American health expert. ... Full Story | Top | China's Ai Weiwei sues tax office in "evasion" case Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:46 PM PDT Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei is suing Beijing tax authorities for violating the law by imposing a 15 million yuan ($2.4 million) tax evasion penalty on the company he works for without allowing him access to evidence and witnesses, Ai said on Friday. Supporters of Ai, whose 81-day detention last year sparked an international outcry, have said the tax case is part of the government's effort to muzzle China's most famous social critic. ... Full Story | Top | Swiss can't offer more to Germany, U.S. in tax row: finance minister Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:42 PM PDT Reuters - ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland cannot make further concessions to Germany and the United States in a dispute over untaxed funds in secret bank accounts, Swiss Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf was quoted as saying in a newspaper interview on Friday. "With Germany we're at a point at which we say, if the partner doesn't want this agreement then the status quo is the better alternative for us than to negotiate still further," she told the Neue Zuercher Zeitung. "Also in the talks with the USA there's a threshold beyond which we cannot go as a sovereign state. ... Full Story | Top | China calls for calm after North Korea launch Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:30 PM PDT Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Friday called for call and restraint on the Korean peninsula after North Korea admitted its much hyped long-range rocket failed to deliver a satellite into orbit. "We hope all parties can maintain calm and restraint and not do anything to harm peace and stability on the Korean peninsula," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said in a two-line statement on the ministry's website. Pyongyang had defied pressure from the United States, China and others to push ahead with the launch it said was to put a weather satellite into orbit. ... Full Story | Top | Morocco may have spied on Western Sahara mission: UN Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:20 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon suggested that Morocco may have been spying on the world body's monitoring force in the disputed territory of Western Sahara and hampering its ability to function, according to a new report obtained by Reuters. Ban's 28-page assessment comes after the latest round of U.N.-mediated talks last month between Morocco, the Polisario Front independence movement, Algeria and Mauritania on the future of Western Sahara failed to make any real progress. Previous rounds held during the past five years ended similarly. In his report to the U.N. ... Full Story | Top | Tullow refutes bribery accusations in Uganda Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:17 PM PDT Reuters - KAMPALA (Reuters) - British oil firm Tullow Oil has refuted accusations that it was involved in bribing government officials in Uganda, where it has discovered commercial oil deposits and is expected to go into small-scale production later in the year. In October, the Ugandan parliament established a committee to probe reports that three ministers took bribes from transactions in the country's nascent oil sector. ... Full Story | Top | UN Council demands end to Sudan, South Sudan clashes Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:15 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council demanded on Thursday that Sudan and South Sudan stop border clashes which it said threatened to return the east African neighbors to a full-scale war. A statement from the 15-nation body also insisted that Khartoum stop air strikes and Juba withdraw troops from a vital oil field. Fighting along the ill-defined border between the former civil-war foes has led to a standoff over Heglig oil field after it was seized on Tuesday by troops from South Sudan, which declared independence last year. ... Full Story | Top | ICC defence lawyer wants Libya reported to UN Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:14 PM PDT Reuters - AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A senior lawyer at the International Criminal Court has asked the court to report Libya to the U.N. Security Council over its failure to extradite Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the late Libyan leader. Xavier-Jean Keïta, principal counsel at the ICC's Office of Public Counsel for the Defence, asked the court to reject an appeal filed by Libya on Tuesday requesting more time to transfer Saif-al Islam to the Netherlands. ... Full Story | Top | Iran seeks dialogue, trust in nuclear talks: minister Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:13 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran hopes all sides in upcoming talks on its nuclear program will commit to comprehensive dialogue and that negotiators make "genuine efforts to reestablish confidence and trust," Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Thursday. In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, Salehi said that to "solve the nuclear issue," the scope of talks this weekend in Istanbul between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany must address the concerns of all sides. ... Full Story | Top | Interim Mali leader promises vote, anti-rebel fight Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:13 PM PDT Reuters - BAMAKO (Reuters) - Former parliament speaker Dioncounda Traore took over as Mali's interim president on Thursday from the leaders of last month's coup, promising to hold elections and fight rebels occupying half the country. Traore, 70, a labour activist turned politician, was sworn in by Supreme Court President Nouhoum Tapily in the capital Bamako as part of a deal to restore civilian rule after army officers staged a March 22 coup in the West African state. The coup shattered predominantly Muslim Mali's image as one of the most peaceful and stable states in the region. ... Full Story | Top | Bissau soldiers attack home of poll front-runner Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:12 PM PDT Reuters - BISSAU (Reuters) - Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau attacked the residence of former Prime Minister and presidential election front-runner Carlos Gomes Junior on Thursday in what regional ministers condemned as an attempted coup in the small West African state. Confusion and fear reined in the crumbling riverside capital, Bissau, after automatic weapons fire and several explosions sent residents scurrying for the shelter of their homes. State television and radio went off the air and armed soldiers were on the streets and controlling major roads in and out of the capital, witnesses and diplomats ... Full Story | Top | Iran seeks dialogue, trust in nuclear talks: minister Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:09 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran hopes all sides in upcoming talks on its nuclear program will commit to comprehensive dialogue and that negotiators make "genuine efforts to reestablish confidence and trust," Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Thursday. In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, Salehi said that to "solve the nuclear issue," the scope of talks this weekend in Istanbul between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany must address the concerns of all sides. ... Full Story | Top | Bissau soldiers attack home of poll front-runner Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:07 PM PDT Reuters - BISSAU (Reuters) - Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau attacked the residence of former Prime Minister and presidential election front-runner Carlos Gomes Junior on Thursday in what regional ministers condemned as an attempted coup in the small West African state. Confusion and fear reined in the crumbling riverside capital, Bissau, after automatic weapons fire and several explosions sent residents scurrying for the shelter of their homes. State television and radio went off the air and armed soldiers were on the streets and controlling major roads in and out of the capital, witnesses and diplomats ... Full Story | Top | For Iran talks, trying to divine supreme leader's intent Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:06 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When U.S. officials join talks this weekend about Iran's nuclear program, they will be armed with profiles developed by intelligence agencies offering insight into what makes foreign leaders tick. One key player will not be at the table in Istanbul, where negotiations are scheduled between Iran and six world powers, but his stamp of approval will be required for any deal to fly. "Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has the final word on Iran's foreign, domestic, and security policies. He is the ultimate decision-maker," a U.S. official said. Since U.S. ... Full Story | Top | Analysis: Obama's "green jobs" have been slow to sprout Thu,12 Apr 2012 10:01 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Three weeks ago, President Barack Obama stood in front of a sea of gleaming solar panels in Boulder City, Nevada, to celebrate his administration's efforts to promote "green energy." Stretching row upon row into the desert, the Copper Mountain Solar Project not far from Las Vegas provided an impressive backdrop for the president. Built on public land, the facility is the largest of its kind in the United States. Its 1 million solar panels provide enough energy to power 17,000 homes. And it employs just 10 people. ... Full Story | Top | Australia's environment warrior Brown to quit politics Thu,12 Apr 2012 09:47 PM PDT Reuters - CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's environment warrior Bob Brown, who built the Australian Greens into a powerful political force, announced on Friday he was quitting politics after 16 years in parliament and more than 30 years as an environmental campaigner. Brown, 67, who once heckled U.S. President George W. Bush when the president addressed Australia's parliament, said he was leaving politics to spend more time writing, taking photographs and bush walking in his home state of Tasmania. ... Full Story | Top | U.N. meets on draft to authorize Syrian observer force Thu,12 Apr 2012 09:20 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council moved quickly on Thursday in an effort to honor a request from international Syria mediator Kofi Annan to authorize the deployment of a U.N. truce-monitoring force to prevent a fragile ceasefire from collapsing. Diplomats on the 15-nation council met behind closed doors to discuss a U.S.-drafted resolution to authorize an initial deployment of up to 30 unarmed observers to Syria. They produced a revised draft, obtained by Reuters, that highlighted language Russia disliked, envoys said. ... Full Story | Top | UPDATE 2-Motor racing-F1 chiefs give green light to Bahrain GP Thu,12 Apr 2012 09:17 PM PDT Reuters - * FIA satisfied Bahrain safe to host race * Activists dub grand prix a "tool of repression" * Teams to meet Bernie Ecclestone late on Friday * Majority of drivers remain silent on issue (Adds detail, quotes) SHANGHAI, April 13 (Reuters) - Formula One will race inBahrain as scheduled next week despite continuinganti-government protests, daily street clashes and securityconcerns for drivers and teams. ... Full Story | Top | North Korea suffers major blow as rocket crashes Thu,12 Apr 2012 09:15 PM PDT Reuters - PYONGYANG/SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea admitted its much hyped long-range rocket failed to deliver a satellite into orbit on Friday while U.S. and South Korean officials said it crashed into the sea a few minutes after launch, dealing a blow to the reclusive state. Pyongyang had defied international pressure from the United States, the United Nations and others to push ahead with the launch timed to celebrate the 100th birthday of Kim Il-sung, the deceased founder of the state, and to coincide with the ascent to power of his grandson Kim Jong-un. ... Full Story | Top | U.N. council to meet Friday on North Korea rocket launch: envoys Thu,12 Apr 2012 09:06 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council will meet on Friday to discuss a possible condemnation of North Korea's rocket launch, U.N. diplomats said on Thursday. They said the council hopes to unanimously agree to a statement condemning what several diplomats said was a violation of a U.N. ban on the use of ballistic missile technology by North Korea. The ban is part of Security Council sanctions imposed on Pyongyang after its 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests. Although the 10:00 a.m. ... Full Story | Top | North Korea confirms rocket launch failure Thu,12 Apr 2012 08:15 PM PDT Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Friday a satellite carried by a rocket it launched earlier in the day did not enter orbit, confirming neighboring countries' claims the long-range rocket launch ended in failure. "Scientists, technicians and experts are currently verifying the cause of the failure," North Korea's official KCNA news agency said. (Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner) Full Story | Top | Apple rejects e-book pricing collusion charge: WSJ Thu,12 Apr 2012 08:13 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Apple has rejected the U.S. Justice Department's allegations that it colluded with publishers over electronic book pricing, calling the charges "simply not true", the Wall Street Journal reported. "The launch of the iBookstore in 2010 fostered innovation and competition, breaking Amazon's monopolistic grip on the publishing industry," Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris told the Journal. The U.S. ... Full Story | Top | Two Coast Guard members shot dead at Alaska base Thu,12 Apr 2012 07:43 PM PDT Reuters - ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Two members of the Coast Guard were shot dead at a communications station on Alaska's Kodiak Island, prompting an investigation by the FBI and a lockdown of the base, officials said on Thursday. The Federal Bureau of Investigation said there was no immediate evidence of terrorism or sabotage, but a security alert was in force at the installation because the circumstances surrounding the deaths were unclear. FBI and Coast Guard officials declined to say whether investigators believed they were dealing with a double homicide or a murder-suicide. ... Full Story | Top | Australia's miners end advertising truce with government Thu,12 Apr 2012 07:36 PM PDT Reuters - CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's powerful mining lobby has launched an advertising campaign warning the Labor-led minority government against imposing more taxes, recalling its 2010 anti-tax crusade that helped bring down the then prime minister. Miners spent more than $20 million on advertising in 2010 to fight a resources tax by then Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd. Rudd was toppled by his deputy, Julia Gillard, who as prime minister watered down the tax to appease the mining sector. ... Full Story | Top | North Korean rocket launch was provocative act: White House Thu,12 Apr 2012 07:22 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday North Korea's failed rocket launch was a provocative act that left the country isolated and in violation of international law. "Despite the failure of its attempted missile launch, North Korea's provocative action threatens regional security, violates international law and contravenes its own recent commitments," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement. "While this action is not surprising given North Korea's pattern of aggressive behavior, any missile activity by North Korea is of concern to the international community. ... Full Story | Top | South Korea says trying to retrieve North Korea rocket debris Thu,12 Apr 2012 06:58 PM PDT Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's rocket launched on Friday exploded mid-air in the initial minutes of flight before falling in 20-odd pieces off South Korea's west coast, the South's defense ministry said. "We are conducting a search operation to retrieve the fallen objects," a defense ministry official said at a news briefing, adding the launch was a test of a ballistic missile. (Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by David Chance) Full Story | Top | Arizona governor signs law banning most late-term abortions Thu,12 Apr 2012 06:35 PM PDT Reuters - PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona Republican Governor Jan Brewer signed into law on Thursday a controversial bill that bans most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, giving Republicans a win in ongoing national efforts to impose greater restrictions on abortion. The measure, which state lawmakers gave a final nod to on Tuesday, would bar healthcare professionals from performing abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, except in the case of a medical emergency. Only a small number of these abortions are performed in the state. ... Full Story | Top | Failed North Korean launch a warning to military buyers: U.S. Thu,12 Apr 2012 06:33 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea's failed rocket launch was a propaganda effort that will scare off potential buyers of its military wares, a U.S. official said on Thursday. "This launch was in part a propaganda effort. That effort clearly failed and will have ramifications internally," an Obama administration official told Reuters. "This launch was also a chance for North Korea to showcase its military wares to prospective customers. The failure will make those customers think twice before buying anything." (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Eric Beech) Full Story | Top | North Korean missile failed after launch: U.S. military Thu,12 Apr 2012 06:28 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A North Korean ballistic missile failed after launch on Thursday and fell into the sea west of South Korea, at no time posing a threat to land, the U.S. military said. The North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, said it tracked the Taepo Dong-2 missile after its launch at 6:39 p.m. EDT on Thursday. The first stage fell into the sea 165 km (103 miles) west of Seoul, South Korea, and the remainder of the satellite-carrying missile was deemed to have failed. No debris fell on land and at no time was the missile or debris deemed a threat, NORAD said. ... Full Story | Top | Bissau soldiers attack home of poll front-runner Thu,12 Apr 2012 06:24 PM PDT Reuters - BISSAU (Reuters) - Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau attacked the residence of former Prime Minister and presidential election front-runner Carlos Gomes Junior on Thursday in what regional ministers condemned as an attempted coup in the small West African state. Confusion and fear reined in the crumbling riverside capital, Bissau, after automatic weapons fire and several explosions sent residents scurrying for the shelter of their homes. State television and radio went off the air and armed soldiers were on the streets and controlling major roads in and out of the capital, witnesses and diplomats ... Full Story | Top | Ban on political ads on public TV struck down Thu,12 Apr 2012 06:11 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - A divided U.S. appeals court struck down a federal ban on political advertising on public TV and radio stations, a decision that could open the public airwaves to a heavy dose of campaign ads leading up to the November elections. By a 2-1 vote, a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said the Federal Communications Commission violated the First Amendment's free speech clause by blocking public broadcasters from running political and public issue ads. ... Full Story | Top | North Korea space agency says no information on rocket: South Korea media Thu,12 Apr 2012 06:09 PM PDT Reuters - SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's space committee was cited as saying by South Korean TV networks on Friday that it had no information on the country's long-range rocket launch. That followed remarks from South Korea and Japan that the launch of Pyongyang's rocket, which the North said was carrying a satellite, ended in failure. (Reporting by David Chance; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner) Full Story | Top | Japan says may consider economic sanctions on North Korea Thu,12 Apr 2012 06:09 PM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan may consider economic sanctions against North Korea, depending on the response of the international community, Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi said on Friday. "It's become clear that (North Korea) launched a flying object so I'll consider if necessary how to respond to it while taking into account movements in the international community," he said when asked about whether Japan will seek new economic sanctions against North Korea. He also said that markets were reacting calmly. (Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Edwina Gibbs) Full Story | Top | Japan to lift cooperation with other countries after North Korea rocket Thu,12 Apr 2012 05:50 PM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said he plans to lift cooperation with related countries after North Korea launched a rocket, according to a government statement. He also ordered ministries to gather information urgently, the statement said. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Edwina Gibbs) Full Story | Top | Brazil lifts ban on aborting brain-damaged fetuses Thu,12 Apr 2012 05:37 PM PDT Reuters - BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's Supreme Court on Thursday voted to legalize abortions of severely brain-damaged fetuses, loosening the law in the world's biggest Catholic country and a region where the spread of evangelical denominations in recent decades has maintained fierce opposition to abortion rights. With only two of the 10 judges voting against lifting the ban, the decision marks a small but historic shift in abortion law in Latin America's biggest country. ... Full Story | Top | Cost of bomb investigation to be tallied for Guantanamo trial Thu,12 Apr 2012 05:17 PM PDT Reuters - GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - A U.S. military judge ordered prosecutors in the Guantanamo war crimes tribunal on Thursday to estimate how much money the United States has spent investigating the deadly bombing of the destroyer USS Cole in the past 12 years. Defense lawyers for the alleged mastermind of the bombing, Saudi prisoner Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, asked for information in the hope of showing that they have been vastly outspent by the government, and suggested this could be a deciding factor in whether the tribunal ultimately sentences Nashiri to die. ... Full Story | Top | Lagarde says IMF may need less money for war chest Thu,12 Apr 2012 05:08 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A stronger firewall is needed to protect the world economy from Europe's debt crisis, but the International Monetary Fund may not need as much money as it thought just a few months ago, the head of the global lender said on Thursday. Speaking before meetings of finance chiefs in Washington on April 20-21, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said a deal among countries on giving more money to the fund would likely take time, signaling an agreement may not be sealed next week. ... Full Story | Top | Emerging world seeks single candidate for World Bank: Ocampo Thu,12 Apr 2012 05:08 PM PDT Reuters - BRASILIA (Reuters) - Developing nations aim to back a single candidate to challenge the United States for the presidency of the World Bank, former Colombian finance minister Jose Antonio Ocampo said on Thursday, though he did not offer to stand aside in his bid for the job. Ocampo met Brazil's Finance Minister Guido Mantega in the capital Brasilia as he seeks support from Latin America's top economy in a three-way race for the global lender's top seat. Ocampo is running against Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and U.S. nominee Jim Yong Kim, a Korean-American health expert. ... Full Story | Top | Motor racing-Bahrain Grand Prix to go ahead as scheduled - FIA Thu,12 Apr 2012 05:04 PM PDT Reuters - April 13 (Reuters) - The Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix willgo ahead as scheduled next week, the governing FIA said in astatement on Friday, despite the potential for moreanti-government protests like those which forced thecancellation of the race last year. "Based on the current information the FIA has at this stage,it is satisfied that all the proper security measures are inplace for the running of a Formula One World Championship eventin Bahrain," said the International Automobile Federationstatement. ... Full Story | Top |
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