| | |
| Dozens feared dead in Russian psychiatric hospital fire Friday, Apr 26, 2013 12:38 AM PDT  By Alexei Anishchuk RAMENSKY, Russia (Reuters) - At least 36 people were feared dead after a fire raged through a psychiatric hospital north of Moscow on Friday, killing some patients in their beds and others who were trapped by barred windows. The fire broke out in the early hours and swept through a single-storey building at the hospital in woods in the village of Ramensky, officials said. Twelve bodies had been found by mid-morning, the Emergencies Ministry said, as grey smoke billowed from the charred yellow-brick building. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italian marines under anti-terrorism probe, death penalty possible Friday, Apr 26, 2013 12:36 AM PDT  By Suchitra Mohanty NEW DELHI (Reuters) - An Indian anti-terrorism agency will investigate the case of two Italian marines accused of murdering two Indian fishermen, India's top court said on Friday, raising the possibility once more of the men facing the death penalty. The accused, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, are charged with murder in connection with the shooting of fishermen off the coast of the southern state of Kerala last year while serving as security guards on a cargo ship. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iranian scientist freed by U.S., reaches Oman Friday, Apr 26, 2013 12:34 AM PDT MUSCAT (Reuters) - An Iranian scientist held for more than a year in California on charges of violating U.S. sanctions arrived in Muscat on Friday, after being freed in what the Omani foreign ministry said was a humanitarian gesture. Mojtaba Atarodi, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Sharif University of Technology, had been detained for allegedly buying high-tech U.S. laboratory equipment, previous Iranian media reports said. The U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| BOJ projects to meet CPI target by 2015/16, analysts have doubts Friday, Apr 26, 2013 12:19 AM PDT  By Leika Kihara and Stanley White TOKYO (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan forecast on Friday that inflation will rise to around 2 percent towards the latter half of the next three years due to its massive stimulus plan, a projection analysts say may be too optimistic. In a reminder of the task ahead, data on Friday showed core consumer prices marked their fifth straight month of annual declines in March even as the yen's recent falls pushed up import costs. ... Full Story | Top |
| Lebanon dragged in as Hezbollah joins Syria war Friday, Apr 26, 2013 12:15 AM PDT By Oliver Holmes BAALBEK, Lebanon (Reuters) - Along north Lebanon's highways, the portraits of Hezbollah militants who have died in skirmishes with Israel are fading. But there are glistening photos of those killed in Hezbollah's new fight. These men died in Syria, battling alongside the army of Hezbollah's close ally President Bashar al-Assad against rebel units in a conflict which has killed more than 70,000 people and risks reigniting Lebanon's 15-year sectarian civil war. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. suspects Syria used chemical weapons, wants proof Friday, Apr 26, 2013 12:15 AM PDT  By Phil Stewart and David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad had probably used chemical weapons on a small scale in the country's civil war, but insisted that President Barack Obama needed definitive proof before he would take action. The disclosure created a quandary for Obama, who has set the use of chemical weapons as a "red line" that Assad must not cross. It triggered calls from some hawkish Washington lawmakers for a U.S. military response, which the president has resisted. ... Full Story | Top |
| Euro zone sees light at end of tunnel, pitfalls remain Friday, Apr 26, 2013 12:04 AM PDT  By John O'Donnell BRUSSELS (Reuters) - There are no calls for celebration, no desire to relax in the corridors of Brussels but some officials believe the euro zone has turned a corner, sharpening the focus on longer-term reforms and structures. Despite a messy bailout of Cyprus, markets are calm, Ireland's rescue program is on track and Greece and Portugal, while still in recession, hope for a slow recovery next year. Slovenia's banks are a concern, but one that policymakers are confident they can deal with. ... Full Story | Top |
| North Korea rejects South's call for talks on industrial zone Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 11:55 PM PDT  SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea rejected on Friday a South Korean proposal for talks aimed at restarting a joint factory zone saying the South has acted in an "unpardonable" manner to jeopardize a "precious" legacy of the rivals' bid to seek peace. The North's National Defense Commission, its supreme leadership body, repeated that what it saw as the reckless behavior of the South had thrown into question the safety of the zone's operation and had forced it to stop access there. The Kaesong industrial zone is just inside North Korea. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel urges U.S. action over Syrian chemical weapons Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 11:46 PM PDT By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The United States should consider military action to curb Syrian chemical weapons after Washington went public with suspicions they have been used in the country's civil war, Israel's deputy foreign minister said on Friday. The challenge by Zev Elkin, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, underscored tension this week over the allies' assessments on Syria, as well as longer-running disputes about how aggressively to confront Iran's nuclear program. ... Full Story | Top |
| China slams Philippine bid to "legalize" occupation of islands Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 11:31 PM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - China accused the Philippines on Friday of trying to legalize its occupation of islands in the disputed South China Sea, repeating that Beijing would never agree to international arbitration. Frustrated with the slow pace of regional diplomacy, the Philippines in January angered China by asking a U.N. tribunal to order a halt to Beijing's activities that it said violated Philippine sovereignty over the islands, surrounded by potentially energy-rich waters. Claims by an increasingly powerful China over most of the South China Sea have set it directly against U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight: Failure of Spain's Pescanova lifts lid on culture of secrecy Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 11:23 PM PDT  By Tracy Rucinski and Carlos Ruano VIGO, Spain (Reuters) - Even in a record year for Spanish bankruptcies, the filing by Pescanova, a household local name that farms, catches and processes fish, stands out not just for scale, but for the opaque culture and boardroom dysfunction it has revealed. The April 15 insolvency filing mentions debts of 1.5 billion euros ($2 billion), but financial sources who have had dealings with the company say total debt is probably more than double that amount, potentially making it the country's third-largest bankruptcy. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: North Korea's epic drama - stage now set for next act Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 11:03 PM PDT  By David Chance and Paul Eckert SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If North Korea's bellicose rhetoric threatening the United States and South Korea with nuclear war was aimed at dragging Washington to the negotiating table, it has likely failed. Pyongyang may once again feel it needs to up the ante. Two months of shrill threats following the North's nuclear test in February appeared at times to drag the Korean peninsula close to war as its young leader celebrated a year in power with a fusillade of verbal aggression that has now died down. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dozens rescued, hundreds missing, as Bangladesh toll tops 270 Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 10:51 PM PDT  By Serajul Quadir and Ruma Paul DHAKA (Reuters) - The search for survivors from Bangladesh's worst industrial accident stretched into a third day on Friday, with the death toll rising to 273 after the collapse of a building housing factories that made low-cost garments for Western brands. Almost miraculously, 41 people trapped inside the rubble of the eight-storey building were rescued alive late on Thursday, government minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak said, about 40 hours after the disaster on the outskirts of Dhaka. ... Full Story | Top |
| First-quarter GDP seen at 3 percent but momentum ebbs Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 10:11 PM PDT  By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Economic growth probably gained steam in the first quarter on strong consumer spending, but the momentum is already ebbing and could slow further as the impact of automatic government spending cuts kick in. Gross domestic product likely expanded at a 3.0 percent annual rate, according to a Reuters poll of economists, after growth nearly stalled at 0.4 percent in the fourth quarter. Part of the expected acceleration in activity will reflect farmers filling up silos after a drought last summer decimated crop output. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: In force-feeding detainees, Obama has courts on his side Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 10:06 PM PDT By David Ingram and Jane Sutton WASHINGTON/MIAMI (Reuters) - As detainees at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, press ahead with a widening hunger strike nearly three months old, President Barack Obama has come under increasing criticism for his policy of force-feeding them. But U.S. law is on his side, an analysis of court rulings shows. Most U.S. judges who have examined forced feeding in prisons have concluded that the measure may violate the rights of inmates to control their own bodies and to privacy - rights rooted in the U.S. Constitution and in common law. ... Full Story | Top |
| Capriles to challenge Venezuela election in court Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 08:58 PM PDT  By Daniel Wallis and Diego Ore CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles said on Thursday he will challenge President Nicolas Maduro's narrow election victory in the courts and that an audit of the vote being prepared by electoral authorities risked being "a joke." Maduro, the hand-picked successor of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, won the April 14 vote by less than 2 percentage points. The opposition says there were thousands of irregularities in the election and that their figures show Capriles won. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. seizes on ruling to boost Wells Fargo mortgage fraud case Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 08:26 PM PDT  By Bernard Vaughan NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Justice Department has promptly capitalized on a court victory to bolster a case before another federal judge, citing a ruling on Wednesday that endorsed the agency's use of a little known financial fraud law to prosecute bank actions during the financial crisis. In a letter made public on Thursday, the agency told District Judge Jesse Furman on Wednesday that the ruling is one reason why its mortgage-fraud case against Wells Fargo & Co should not be dismissed. U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Florida ordered to improve access to jobless benefits Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 08:04 PM PDT  By Tom Brown MIAMI (Reuters) - The Department of Labor has ordered Florida to improve access to jobless benefits for people with disabilities or limited English proficiency in a ruling that could help make the state's unemployment insurance program more accessible to everyone, employment rights and legal advocacy groups said on Thursday. "This is a huge victory," Valory Greenfield, an attorney for the non-profit Florida Legal Services, said of the Labor Department ruling. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate passes bill to end air traffic control furloughs Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 07:54 PM PDT  By Richard Cowan and Doug Palmer WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate moved quickly late on Thursday to end air traffic controller furloughs that were causing widespread airline flight delays related to last month's automatic federal spending cuts. Without any debate, the Senate unanimously passed legislation giving the Department of Transportation flexibility to use unspent funds to cover the costs of air traffic controllers and other essential employees at the Federal Aviation Administration. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boston suspects had "spontaneous" bomb plan for New York Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 07:49 PM PDT  By Edith Honan and Mark Hosenball NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The two brothers suspected of carrying out last week's deadly Boston Marathon bombing decided, after the FBI released photos of them, to drive to Manhattan and detonate more explosives in Times Square, New York City officials said on Thursday. Their plan unraveled when they realized a Mercedes sport utility vehicle they had hijacked on April 18, three days after the Boston bombing, did not have enough gasoline for the journey, said New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama nominates antitrust expert Shelanski as new regulatory czar Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 07:37 PM PDT  By Roberta Rampton and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Thursday he would pick Howard Shelanski, an antitrust expert, as his new regulatory czar, a powerful White House position charged with reviewing regulations proposed by government departments. Shelanski, who is both an economist and a lawyer, is currently in charge of a team of economists that reviews competition and consumer protection issues at the Federal Trade Commission. ... Full Story | Top |
| MPs criticise accounting firms on tax avoidance Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 06:35 PM PDT  By Tom Bergin LONDON (Reuters) - MPs criticised the role of accounting firms in helping big companies avoid paying tax and said in a report on Friday that close corporate relationships with government raised concerns about undue influence on tax policy. Corporate tax avoidance has risen to the top of the political agenda in Britain in the past year following reports which showed some major companies paid little or no tax in the country by shifting profits to tax havens. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama honors firefighters killed in Texas fertilizer plant blast Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 06:29 PM PDT  By Steve Holland WACO, Texas (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, standing before a line of flag-draped coffins, consoled family and friends on Thursday at a memorial service for firefighters killed in a massive explosion last week at a Texas fertilizer plant. The deaths of 14 people, nearly all of them emergency responders, ripped a hole in the heart of the town of West, where farming is a way of life and where many people volunteer for the fire department in their spare time. "To the families, the neighbors grappling with unbearable loss, we are here to say you are not alone. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Blatter misplaces Argentines' joy at 1978 World Cup win Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 06:04 PM PDT  By Rex Gowar BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's first World Cup victory in 1978 was a catharsis for fans desperate for a title to go with the belief their team had often been the best on the planet without being able to show it. It was not what FIFA president Sepp Blatter claimed on Wednesday, "a kind of reconciliation of the public, of the people of Argentina, with the system, the political system, the military system at the time". ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama to meet business executives ahead of Central American trip Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 05:56 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will meet on Friday with a group of U.S. business executives whose companies have a major presence in Mexico and Central America, the White House said on Thursday. Obama departs for a trip to Mexico and Costa Rica next week. Here is the list of business leaders expected to meet with him at the White House: John Bilbrey, chief executive, Hershey Co Franklin Chang Díaz, president, Ad Astra Rocket Company Andres Gluski, chief executive, AES Corp Robert A. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate approves bill to end air traffic controller furloughs Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 05:44 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate late on Thursday approved legislation to provide enough funding for federal air traffic controllers through September 30 to end furloughs that have brought widespread airline delays. Without debate, the Senate unanimously approved the measure. The House of Representatives could consider the bill on Friday. (Reporting By Richard Cowan; Editing by Paul Simao) Full Story | Top |
| Soccer-Blatter misplaces Argentines' joy at 1978 World Cup win Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 05:39 PM PDT By Rex Gowar BUENOS AIRES, April 25 (Reuters) - Argentina's first World Cup victory in 1978 was a catharsis for fans desperate for a title to go with the belief their team had often been the best on the planet without being able to show it. It was not what FIFA president Sepp Blatter claimed on Wednesday, "a kind of reconciliation of the public, of the people of Argentina, with the system, the political system, the military system at the time". ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate foe of Obama's gun-control bid may face voter backlash Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 04:50 PM PDT  By Thomas Ferraro WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire faces a possible voter backlash along with critical ads from gun control advocates following her vote against President Barack Obama's bid to curb gun violence. According to a survey by Public Policy Polling released Wednesday, Ayotte's approval rating stands at 44 percent, down 15 points since October when the organization last conducted a poll on her. The poll of 933 New Hampshire voters, from April 19 to April 21, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percent. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canadian priest killed in snatch and grab shooting in Haiti Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 04:49 PM PDT By Susana Ferreira PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - A Canadian missionary was shot to death on Thursday as he left a bank in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, according to authorities. The priest, Richard Joyal, 62, of Manitoba, was shot three times in the back by a man on a motorcycle who snatched a bag the priest was carrying, according to a police official. Joyal, who belonged to the Catholic order of the Societe de Marie, had previously worked in the Philippines and Ivory Coast, according to a source familiar his activities in Haiti. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senate bill on Web sales tax moves forward but support erodes Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 04:33 PM PDT By Kim Dixon and Lisa Lambert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to move forward with legislation that would allow states to force retailers to collect online sales taxes, though the measure lost supporters after opponents stepped up lobbying this week. The bipartisan proposal cleared a procedural hurdle after 63 members in the 100-seat Senate backed it; the measure previously was held up by opponents. Critics largely cited potential burdens on small businesses, many in states that do not impose sales taxes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senators reach bipartisan deal on air traffic controllers Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 04:28 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. senators reached a tentative deal to fully fund air traffic controllers with a proposal that would end their furloughs, which have led to widespread airline delays, Senate aides said on Thursday. The full Senate could vote later on Thursday to approve the measure. If so, the House of Representatives likely would vote on the measure on Friday. (Reporting By Richard Cowan; Editing by Paul Simao) Full Story | Top |
| Congressman questions legal handling of Boston suspect Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 04:18 PM PDT By Tabassum Zakaria WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers has expressed concern to Attorney General Eric Holder that the legal handling of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect may have "prematurely cut off" a lawful FBI interview. Rogers, a Republican from Michigan, said he wanted more information about the appearance by U.S. Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler at the hospital where Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is being held after being charged in the bombings that killed three people and wounded more than 200. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pentagon downplays comment on F-35 fighter jet cyber threat Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 04:17 PM PDT  By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Thursday downplayed a comment by one of its officials that he is not totally confident in the ability of the $396 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, built by Lockheed Martin Corp, to survive a cyber attack. The Pentagon's F-35 program office issued a statement that the Department of Defense was "fully aware of evolving cyber threats and is taking specific action to counter them for all fielded systems, including F-35. ... Full Story | Top |
| FBI says more tests may be needed to probe ricin potency Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 04:15 PM PDT  By Susan Cornwell and Marilyn W. Thompson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI said on Thursday that more tests may be necessary to determine the potency of a granular material identified as ricin that was packed into letters sent to President Obama, a U.S. senator and a Mississippi judge. Last week, the FBI said laboratory testing had confirmed the presence of the toxin in the letters. But FBI spokesman Chris Allen said Thursday he was reluctant to say all tests were complete because "they may be doing more tests on it as the investigation is ongoing. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK should do more to speed shale gas development - MPs Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 04:12 PM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - MPs criticised the government on Friday for unnecessarily delaying development of shale gas, saying it should now encourage companies to come up with more accurate estimates of recoverable reserves. The lack of progress over the past two years in exploration and development of UK shale gas is disappointing and needs to speed up, members of the influential cross-party Energy and Climate Change Committee in parliament said in a report. ... Full Story | Top |
| Protest planned over Cleveland police response to deadly chase Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 04:11 PM PDT By Kim Palmer CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Cleveland community activists are planning to protest against what they see as the use of excessive force by city police after a review found 100 officers broke rules in a car chase in which an unarmed driver and his passenger were shot dead. Activist Kathy Coleman told Reuters on Thursday that residents plan a rally on Monday to demand police officers involved in the chase receive appropriate punishment and the city take action against the problem of excessive force. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boston bombing victim shuts out anger, eyes recovery Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 04:11 PM PDT By Svea Herbst-Bayliss BOSTON (Reuters) - Bleeding heavily after being hurled into the entryway of a restaurant seconds after twin blasts shattered a festive mood at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, Heather Abbott had no doubt about what had just happened. "I thought, 'Of course this is a terror attack," said the 38-year-old from Newport, Rhode Island, who recalled thinking about the September 11, 2001, hijacked plane attacks as she lay screaming for help. The Boston bombing on April 15 killed three people and injured 264 others. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK lawmakers criticize accounting firms on tax avoidance Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 04:10 PM PDT  By Tom Bergin LONDON (Reuters) - UK lawmakers criticized the role of accounting firms in helping big companies avoid paying tax and said in a report on Friday that close corporate relationships with government raised concerns about undue influence on tax policy. Corporate tax avoidance has risen to the top of the political agenda in Britain in the past year following reports which showed some major companies paid little or no tax in the country by shifting profits to tax havens. ... Full Story | Top |
| Canadian train plot suspects caused unease with extreme views Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 03:16 PM PDT By Randall Palmer and Alastair Sharp MONTREAL/TORONTO (Reuters) - Chiheb Esseghaier, a Tunisian doctoral student in Quebec, ran afoul of his research institute's administration two years ago when he tore down posters for the charity United Way showing naked men and women with the slogan "Underneath, we are all equal." "We met with him to discuss with him and to try to understand why he did that. We explained that we don't do that here," said Julie Martineau, a spokeswoman at the INRS research center at Varennes, south of Montreal. ... Full Story | Top |
| Boston bomb suspects also wanted to attack New York: officials Thursday, Apr 25, 2013 03:13 PM PDT By Edith Honan and Mark Hosenball NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The two men suspected of carrying out last week's deadly Boston Marathon bombing decided after authorities identified them to drive to Manhattan and set off additional explosives in Times Square, New York City officials said on Thursday. Their plan unraveled only when they realized that a Mercedes sport utility vehicle they had hijacked on April 18, three days after the bombing, did not have enough gasoline for the journey, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said. ... Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment