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Friday, August 31, 2012 12:02 AM PDT

Today's Reuters News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Romney appeals to voters disillusioned with Obama Isaac's remnants bring headaches but also relief to drought Egypt says Syria's "oppressive regime" must go Federal court blocks Texas voter ID law Analysis: JPMorgan faces sea of trouble resolving "Whale" probe WikiLeaks' Assange sees up to a year in Ecuador embassy Barclays picks retail banker to replace Diamond Insight: Does China's next leader have a soft spot for Tibet? Exclusive: Google, Apple CEOs in secret patent talks Iran doubles underground nuclear capacity: U.N. agency Romney takes lead over Obama with convention "bounce": Reuters/Ipsos poll Consumer spending posts biggest rise in five months Romney tells voters to move on from Obama disappointment Flooding from Isaac forces evacuation of 60,000 World food prices jumped 10 percent in July: World Bank Exclusive: U.N. patents body roiled by misconduct feud Former Murdoch executive held in UK hacking inquiry Iran's policies attacked by U.N. head, Egyptian leader Five Australian soldiers killed in Afghan incidents Analysis: Ryan puts down calculator, picks up bullhorn July consumer spending posts strongest rise in five months Trayvon Martin shooter wins appeal for new judge Jobless claims unchanged last week Exclusive: China considers downgrading domestic security tsar in next line-up Ecuador upbeat about deal to end Assange standoff Syrian opposition group not up to job, says ex-member Analysis: Things we've learned at the Republican convention U.S. drone strike kills suspected militants: Yemen official Second-quarter growth revised up, Fed still seen in play Barclays says UK fraud unit starts investigation New Orleans withstands Isaac's wrath, for now Ryan promises he and Romney will lead America back Three foreign soldiers killed by rogue Afghan soldier Israel court tells settlers to evacuate outpost by Tuesday Tymoshenko loses appeal, stays in Ukraine jail U.N. nuclear watchdog team to examine Iran program Loss of radio contact prompts Amsterdam plane hijack scare Markets will wait for ECB silver bullet, but not for long Barclays faces UK fraud probe on Qatar payments Big bets aim to jolt heart drug sales back to life Romney appeals to voters disillusioned with Obama Thu,30 Aug 2012 09:53 PM PDT Reuters - TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Republican Mitt Romney urged voters on Thursday to help him rebuild the U.S. economy and create millions of new jobs, asking them to overcome their disappointment in President Barack Obama and join him in restoring the promise of America. In a high-stakes speech accepting the Republican presidential nomination, Romney said he would work to unify a divided country that believed Obama's lofty campaign promises but had lost hope they would be fulfilled. "What is needed in our country today is not complicated or profound. ... Full Story Top Isaac's remnants bring headaches but also relief to drought Thu,30 Aug 2012 10:28 PM PDT Reuters - NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - The remnants of Hurricane Isaac continue to cause headaches on Friday, bringing heavy rainfall and the threat of flash flooding to the lower Mississippi Valley as Gulf Coast residents get ready to start their cleanup efforts. The first hurricane to hit the United States this year will be remembered for striking New Orleans on the anniversary of 2005's deadly Hurricane Katrina - and providing a first, successful test of the city's pricey new flood defenses. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu concluded that the ring of defenses was "operating as designed. ... Full Story Top Egypt says Syria's "oppressive regime" must go Thu,30 Aug 2012 11:22 AM PDT Reuters - DUBAI/AMMAN (Reuters) - Egypt called on Thursday for intervention to halt bloodshed in Syria, telling a meeting of 120 nations it was their duty to stand against the "oppressive regime" of Bashar al-Assad, prompting a Syrian walkout. President Mohamed Mursi, elected two months ago after a popular uprising toppled Egypt's long-standing leader Hosni Mubarak, said Assad had lost legitimacy in his fight to crush a 17-month-old revolt in which 20,000 people have been killed. ... Full Story Top Federal court blocks Texas voter ID law Thu,30 Aug 2012 04:59 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal court on Thursday blocked a Texas law that would require voters to show photo identification before casting ballots, saying the measure would likely curtail the ability of minorities to vote in the November 6 presidential election. Evidence showed the law did the most harm to African Americans and Hispanics, who are more likely to live in poverty, Circuit Judge David Tatel wrote for a three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court in Washington. Those without the underlying documents to obtain ID would have to purchase them, discouraging poor voters, he wrote. ... Full Story Top Analysis: JPMorgan faces sea of trouble resolving "Whale" probe Thu,30 Aug 2012 10:02 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - The fallout from a nearly $6 billion trading loss at JPMorgan Chase & Co looks like it will haunt the big U.S. bank and its high-profile chief executive, Jamie Dimon, for months to come. U.S. authorities are interviewing witnesses in both the United States and Europe to determine if three former London-based traders and others who worked with them at JPMorgan tried to hide some of the mounting losses during the first quarter of this year, said people familiar with the situation. The situation presents several challenges to U.S. ... Full Story Top WikiLeaks' Assange sees up to a year in Ecuador embassy Thu,30 Aug 2012 09:10 PM PDT Reuters - QUITO (Reuters) - Julian Assange expects to wait six months to a year for a deal to free him from Ecuador's embassy in London, and hopes Sweden will drop its case against him, the WikiLeaks' founder said in an interview broadcast on Thursday. The former computer hacker has been holed up at the embassy for more than two months, seeking to avoid being sent to Sweden for questioning over rape and sexual assault allegations - and triggering a diplomatic spat with Britain. ... Full Story Top Barclays picks retail banker to replace Diamond Thu,30 Aug 2012 11:00 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Barclays named retail banker Antony Jenkins as chief executive on Thursday, signaling a shift from riskier investment banking as it tries to recover from the interest rate-rigging scandal that brought down his predecessor. Criticised by regulators for an aggressive culture under limelight-loving American Bob Diamond, Barclays must now decide how far to curb the investment bank he built and which generates most of the British bank's profits. ... Full Story Top Insight: Does China's next leader have a soft spot for Tibet? Thu,30 Aug 2012 02:10 PM PDT Reuters - BEIJING/DHARAMSALA (Reuters) - For decades, Beijing has maintained that the Dalai Lama is a separatist, but Tibet's exiled spiritual leader once had a special relationship with the father of Xi Jinping, the man in line to become China's next president. Few people know what Xi, whose ascent to the leadership is likely to be approved at a Communist Party congress later this year, thinks of Tibet or the Dalai Lama. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: Google, Apple CEOs in secret patent talks Thu,30 Aug 2012 01:50 PM PDT Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc Chief Executive Larry Page and Apple CEO Tim Cook have been conducting behind-the-scenes talks about a range of intellectual property matters, including the mobile patent disputes between the companies, people familiar with the matter said. The two executives had a phone conversation last week, the sources said. Discussions involving lower-level officials of the two companies are also ongoing. Page and Cook are expected to talk again in the coming weeks, though no firm date has been set, the sources said on Thursday. ... Full Story Top Iran doubles underground nuclear capacity: U.N. agency Thu,30 Aug 2012 01:41 PM PDT Reuters - VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran has doubled the number of uranium enrichment centrifuges it has in an underground bunker, a U.N. report said on Thursday, showing Tehran has continued to expand its nuclear program despite Western pressure and the threat of an Israeli attack. As Israeli politicians increased their talk of air strikes on Iran's nuclear sites in recent months, the Islamic Republic was rapidly increasing the enrichment capacity of its Fordow site, buried deep underground to withstand any such hit. The U.N. ... Full Story Top Romney takes lead over Obama with convention "bounce": Reuters/Ipsos poll Thu,30 Aug 2012 01:37 PM PDT Reuters - TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Mitt Romney has moved into a narrow lead over U.S. President Barack Obama in a small bounce for him from the Republican National Convention, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found on Thursday. Romney entered the week four points behind Obama in the first installment of a Reuters/Ipsos rolling poll, with Obama leading 46 percent to 42 percent. But the most recent daily rolling poll gave Romney a two-point lead of 44 percent to 42 percent among likely voters. ... Full Story Top Consumer spending posts biggest rise in five months Thu,30 Aug 2012 12:13 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumer spending got off to a fairly firm start in the third quarter, rising by the most in five months and offering hope economic growth would pick up this quarter. Other data on Thursday showed the number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits held steady last week. The reports were consistent with only moderate economic and job growth, and they kept alive the prospect of additional monetary stimulus from the Federal Reserve. ... Full Story Top Romney tells voters to move on from Obama disappointment Thu,30 Aug 2012 04:19 PM PDT Reuters - TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Republican Mitt Romney will urge Americans in a major speech on Thursday to leave behind their disappointment in President Barack Obama and join him to rebuild the U.S. economy and generate millions of jobs. Taking center stage with an address to the Republican convention in Tampa, Florida, Romney will vow to be a champion for small business and to restore a sense of innovation in America. "What is needed in our country today is not complicated or profound. It doesn't take a special government commission to tell us what America needs. What America needs is jobs. ... Full Story Top Flooding from Isaac forces evacuation of 60,000 Thu,30 Aug 2012 02:13 PM PDT Reuters - NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Torrential rain dropped by Hurricane Isaac threatened to burst a dam on Thursday, forcing evacuation of up to 60,000 people in Louisiana and Mississippi and leaving large areas of the region flooded and without power. Isaac, which was downgraded to a tropical depression on Thursday after moving in from the Gulf on Tuesday, left little damage in New Orleans, where stronger barriers were installed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Only one fatality linked to the storm has been confirmed so far. But it left a soggy mess across widespread areas of the U.S. ... Full Story Top World food prices jumped 10 percent in July: World Bank Thu,30 Aug 2012 11:42 AM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - World food prices jumped 10 percent in July as drought parched crop lands in the United States and Eastern Europe, the World Bank said in a statement urging governments to shore up programs that protect their most vulnerable populations. From June to July, corn and wheat prices rose by 25 percent each, soybean prices by 17 percent, and only rice prices went down, by 4 percent, the World Bank said on Thursday. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: U.N. patents body roiled by misconduct feud Thu,30 Aug 2012 07:50 AM PDT Reuters - GENEVA (Reuters) - Four months after a U.N. agency's decision to send computer equipment to Iran and North Korea first stirred controversy, a feud has erupted between the body's director general and a suspended senior manager over misconduct allegations. In a suit filed with a U.N. tribunal, the manager accuses Francis Gurry, the Australian head of the Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization, of pledging the equipment to the two sanctioned countries in exchange for their votes. ... Full Story Top Former Murdoch executive held in UK hacking inquiry Thu,30 Aug 2012 06:16 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Tom Crone, a former senior legal executive at Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper business, has been arrested by police investigating allegations of phone-hacking by journalists, media reported on Thursday. London police confirmed they had arrested a 60-year-old man at his home in southwest London on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications, but declined to name him. ... Full Story Top Iran's policies attacked by U.N. head, Egyptian leader Thu,30 Aug 2012 10:48 AM PDT Reuters - DUBAI (Reuters) - The U.N. chief and Egypt's president delivered stinging speeches at a summit of developing nations in Iran on Thursday, damaging the host country's quest for global prestige and support for its nuclear program and its policy on Syria. The Iranians had to listen while Ban Ki-moon denounced them for calling for Israel's destruction and denying the Holocaust. ... Full Story Top Five Australian soldiers killed in Afghan incidents Wed,29 Aug 2012 11:38 PM PDT Reuters - KABUL/CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia suffered its worst combat losses since the Vietnam War when five troops were killed in Afghanistan, officials said on Thursday, prompting Prime Minister Julia Gillard to return home early from a regional Pacific leaders' conference. Officials from the Australian Defence Force and the NATO-led coalition said three Australians had been killed in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday by an Afghan wearing a soldier's uniform, bringing to 45 the number of NATO-led coalition troops killed in rogue shootings this year. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Ryan puts down calculator, picks up bullhorn Wed,29 Aug 2012 10:42 PM PDT Reuters - TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Paul Ryan built his reputation as a fearless wonk who wasn't afraid to put specific numbers on his small-government ideals. Now that he is the Republican Party's vice presidential nominee, the devil lies in the details. In a speech that marked his ascension onto the national stage, Ryan spelled out his conservative vision in the broad brush strokes of the presidential campaign, rather than the pointillistic data sets of the House of Representatives Budget Committee. But the core message at the Republican National Convention was the same. ... Full Story Top July consumer spending posts strongest rise in five months Thu,30 Aug 2012 05:33 AM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumer spending got off to a fairly firm start in the third quarter, rising by the most in five months, offering hope economic growth could pick up this quarter. The Commerce Department said on Thursday consumer spending increased 0.4 percent after a flat reading in June. Last month's rise in consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of U.S. economic activity, was in line with economists' expectations. When adjusted for inflation, consumer spending increased 0.4 percent, also the largest increase since February. Real consumer spending dipped 0. ... Full Story Top Trayvon Martin shooter wins appeal for new judge Wed,29 Aug 2012 04:41 PM PDT Reuters - MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida appeals court ruled on Wednesday that George Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, should be granted a new judge in his case. The decision from the three-judge panel came in response to a motion filed by Zimmerman's lawyer asking the court to overturn a ruling by Judge Kenneth Lester refusing to step down from the case. "We direct the trial judge to enter an order of disqualification," the state's Fifth District Court of Appeal wrote in its opinion. One of the judges dissented in the decision. ... Full Story Top Jobless claims unchanged last week Thu,30 Aug 2012 05:33 AM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits was unchanged last week, pointing to a labor market that was treading water. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits were a seasonally adjusted 374,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's figure was revised up to show 2,000 more applications than previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims dipping to 370,000 last week. The four-week moving average for new claims, a better measure of labor market trends, rose 1,500 to 370,250. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: China considers downgrading domestic security tsar in next line-up Wed,29 Aug 2012 04:00 PM PDT Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Communist Party is considering downgrading the role of domestic security chief as part of a move to a new and smaller top elite, reflecting fears that the position has become too powerful, sources said. Reducing the party's Politburo Standing Committee, the inner council at the apex of power, from nine to seven members would come as part of a once-in-a-decade leadership change expected in the next few weeks or months. ... Full Story Top Ecuador upbeat about deal to end Assange standoff Wed,29 Aug 2012 12:33 PM PDT Reuters - QUITO (Reuters) - Talks have resumed between Ecuador and Britain over the fate of WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange, and Ecuador's government said on Wednesday it was optimistic of a deal that would prevent him being extradited to the United States. Assange has been in hiding at Ecuador's embassy in London for more than two months, seeking to avoid being sent to Sweden for questioning over rape and sexual assault allegations -- and triggering a diplomatic stand-off that now looks to be easing. "I'm convinced we'll find a way out ... ... Full Story Top Syrian opposition group not up to job, says ex-member Wed,29 Aug 2012 03:01 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS/ANKARA (Reuters) - The opposition Syrian National Council has failed to overcome internal divisions and is not up to the challenge of overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad, a prominent former member of the group has said. Assad, in a rare television interview, said he would need more time to defeat the rebels and dismissed talk of a Western-imposed buffer zone on Syrian territory as unrealistic. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Things we've learned at the Republican convention Thu,30 Aug 2012 04:07 AM PDT Reuters - TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Mitt Romney's campaign choreographed the Republican National Convention to sell voters on three ideas: that the party is unified behind Romney; that he is a qualified presidential candidate who's warmer than he seems, and that his running mate, Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan, is ready to be one step from the presidency. Ryan took his turn at trying to make the sale on Wednesday night in a convention speech that had Republican delegates roaring with approval. On Thursday, it's Romney's turn. ... Full Story Top U.S. drone strike kills suspected militants: Yemen official Wed,29 Aug 2012 02:08 PM PDT Reuters - ADEN (Reuters) - A U.S. drone attack killed at least four suspected Islamist militants in a car in a remote province of Yemen, a security official said. The official, who did not want to be named, said the vehicle was struck in the al-Qatn district of the vast Hadramout province in eastern Yemen. Residents said the car was struck by one of three missiles fired from a plane and that charred bodies were pulled from it afterwards. It was not clear if there were other casualties in the attack. ... Full Story Top Second-quarter growth revised up, Fed still seen in play Wed,29 Aug 2012 04:58 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The economy fared slightly better than initially thought in the second quarter, but the pace of growth remained too slow to shut the door on further monetary easing from the Federal Reserve. Gross domestic product expanded at a 1.7 percent annual rate, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday, as stronger export growth offset a pull-back in restocking by businesses wary of sluggish domestic demand. While that was an improvement on the government's first estimate of 1. ... Full Story Top Barclays says UK fraud unit starts investigation Wed,29 Aug 2012 10:23 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Barclays confirmed that the UK's fraud investigation unit, the Serious Fraud Office, has started an investigation into certain payments between the British bank and Qatar. The disclosure by the bank follows a report earlier on Wednesday which said that the SFO would open a probe into a matter already being investigated by Britain's Financial Services Authority. Barclays disclosed the FSA investigation in July. It relates to fees paid to the Qatar Investment Authority on deals in June and November 2008, when Barclays raised 11.5 billion pounds ($18 billion). ... Full Story Top New Orleans withstands Isaac's wrath, for now Wed,29 Aug 2012 03:20 PM PDT Reuters - NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Hurricane Isaac dumped heavy rains on the U.S. Gulf Coast and caused widespread flooding on Wednesday, but elaborate defenses built to protect New Orleans after the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster withstood the onslaught, officials said. The massive cyclone, which weakened to a tropical storm on Wednesday afternoon as it moved slowly into Louisiana, pushed water over a levy on the outskirts of New Orleans and threatened to flood oil refineries and towns in the state and neighboring Mississippi. ... Full Story Top Ryan promises he and Romney will lead America back Wed,29 Aug 2012 04:49 PM PDT Reuters - TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Republican vice presidential contender Paul Ryan promised on Wednesday that he and running mate Mitt Romney would lead America out of the economic doldrums by making tough choices that would generate jobs and strengthen the middle class. Ryan, a Wisconsin congressman, will accept his assignment as Romney's No. 2 at the Republican convention with the biggest speech of his political career - one designed to fire up conservatives while reaching out to independents still uncertain about the Republican team. "We will not duck the tough issues - we will lead. ... Full Story Top Three foreign soldiers killed by rogue Afghan soldier Wed,29 Aug 2012 04:49 PM PDT Reuters - KABUL (Reuters) - Three foreign soldiers were shot dead on Wednesday by a gunman wearing an Afghan army uniform in southern Afghanistan, the NATO-led coalition said, the latest in an alarming series of insider shootings which have damaged trust between the allies. "The incident is currently under investigation," the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a Thursday statement giving no other details. NATO sources said the soldiers were killed in Uruzgan province, where around 1,500 Australian troops are based. ... Full Story Top Israel court tells settlers to evacuate outpost by Tuesday Wed,29 Aug 2012 11:30 AM PDT Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's high court ruled on Wednesday that the largest unauthorized Jewish settler outpost on occupied West Bank territory must be evacuated by next Tuesday. The court rejected an appeal by the settlers to delay the evacuation of Migron, a hilltop settlement of about 50 families, which a separate ruling a year ago decided was built on privately-owned Palestinian land. ... Full Story Top Tymoshenko loses appeal, stays in Ukraine jail Wed,29 Aug 2012 07:03 AM PDT Reuters - KIEV (Reuters) - A Ukrainian high court rejected an appeal on Wednesday by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko against her conviction for abuse of office, leaving her in jail and Ukraine's relations with the West severely strained. Tymoshenko's defense lawyer said the ruling by a three-judge panel had been steered by President Viktor Yanukovich for political reasons. "These findings have no relation to justice," Serhiy Vlasenko told journalists after judge Olexander Yelfimov ruled that lower courts had delivered "correct decisions on the crimes of Tymoshenko. ... Full Story Top U.N. nuclear watchdog team to examine Iran program Wed,29 Aug 2012 09:43 AM PDT Reuters - VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog is establishing a specialized team to inspect and investigate Iran's nuclear program, which diplomats say is expanding despite tough Western sanctions and the threat of an Israeli attack. The U.N. agency announced the establishment of an Iran Task Force shortly before it is expected to issue a report showing that the Islamic state has installed more than 300 new uranium enrichment machines in a fortified underground facility. ... Full Story Top Loss of radio contact prompts Amsterdam plane hijack scare Wed,29 Aug 2012 09:11 AM PDT Reuters - AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands intercepted a Spanish airliner with two fighter planes and then sent security forces to surround it on the tarmac at Amsterdam's airport in a hijack scare caused by a loss of radio contact. The plane, flown by Spanish carrier Vueling from Malaga in Spain to Amsterdam with about 180 passengers on board, had lost radio contact with air traffic control, a spokesman for the military police told Reuters. "There was no communication with the crew at all," Martijn Peelen, military police spokesman, said. ... Full Story Top Markets will wait for ECB silver bullet, but not for long Wed,29 Aug 2012 04:14 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Investors have put their faith in the European Central Bank's ability to get on top of the euro zone debt crisis and even if detailed plans take longer to materialize than expected, the momentum in financial markets may prevent an immediate meltdown. After Spanish borrowing costs spiked in late July, pushing the country towards a sovereign bailout which the euro zone can barely afford, ECB President Mario Draghi promised to "do whatever it takes" to preserve the euro. ... Full Story Top Barclays faces UK fraud probe on Qatar payments Wed,29 Aug 2012 11:10 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's fraud prosecutors have launched a criminal probe into payments between Barclays and Qatar Holding, the British bank confirmed, adding to an ongoing regulatory investigation into dealings between the two parties. Barclays said on Wednesday that the UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) started an investigation into "payments under certain commercial agreements" between it and Qatar, confirming an earlier report. ... Full Story Top Big bets aim to jolt heart drug sales back to life Wed,29 Aug 2012 01:10 AM PDT Reuters - MUNICH (Reuters) - The expiry of patents on profitable heart medicines is soon going to erode one of the main sources of drug company profits, and risky bets on new medicines to replace them may not make up for the lost sales. High-octane salesmanship was still on show at giant trade stands during this week's European Society of Cardiology congress - the world's biggest heart meeting with 28,000 participants - but the razzmatazz hides a business in trouble. ... Full Story Top

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