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| BOJ policymaker warns emerging markets may see more outflows Thursday, Aug 29, 2013 12:32 AM PDT  By Leika Kihara MORIOKA, Japan (Reuters) - The global economy could be hurt if the withdrawal of funds from emerging markets picks up ahead of an expected reduction in the U.S. Federal Reserve's monetary stimulus, a Bank of Japan board member said on Thursday. Yoshihisa Morimoto also signaled that Japan's government needed to proceed with a planned two-stage hike in the sales tax as part of efforts to fix its tattered finances, or face a severe market backlash. He shrugged off the need to loosen monetary policy again to ease the pain from the tax hikes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Blake happy to avoid bowing out on historic anniversary Thursday, Aug 29, 2013 12:29 AM PDT  By Will Swanton NEW YORK (Reuters) - James Blake just about achieved his wish of avoiding defeat on the 50th anniversary of the Great March On Washington when his career-ending loss at the U.S. Open concluded past midnight at Flushing Meadows on Thursday. The American former world number four had led two sets to love before succumbing to Croatian giant Ivo Karlovic 6-7(2) 3-6 6-4 7-6(2) 7-6(2) in front of more than 10,000 fans, who gave him a standing ovation as he left Louis Armstrong Stadium. ... Full Story | Top |
| Japanese mother tells of heartbreak years after North Korea abducted 13-year-old daughter Thursday, Aug 29, 2013 12:27 AM PDT  By Elaine Lies TOKYO (Reuters) - For two decades after 13-year-old Megumi Yokota vanished on her way home from school one November evening, Japanese police called her parents whenever they found an unidentified body. Unimaginably, the teenager had been abducted and taken to North Korea, her mother told a U.N. Commission of Inquiry panel in Tokyo on Thursday - but there was no clue what had happened to the cheerful girl who liked to sing until reports began to emerge in 1997 of the presence of Japanese in North Korea. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syrian coalition urges strike on Assad, military support Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 11:56 PM PDT  PARIS (Reuters) - The opposition Syrian National Coalition urged Western powers to launch a punitive strike against Bashar al-Assad's government quickly and offer real military and political support to stop people being "exterminated". President Barack Obama has made a case for a limited military strike against Syria in response to last week's alleged chemical weapons attack, but any action could be slowed by the presence of U.N. weapons inspectors near Damascus and the need to ease divisions in Britain and among U.S. lawmakers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Australian bookmaker calls election race over, begins paying bets Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 11:37 PM PDT  CANBERRA (Reuters) - An Australian bookmaker on Thursday began paying out bets on a conservative opposition victory, declaring the country's September 7 election race already over for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's struggling Labor government. With nine days to go, online bookmaker Sportsbet said it had begun paying A$1.5 million ($1.34 million) in bets received on a victory for opposition leader Tony Abbott's center-right coalition, because the outcome was already clear. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tennis-Blake happy to avoid bowing out on historic anniversary Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 11:20 PM PDT By Will Swanton NEW YORK, Aug 29 (Reuters) - James Blake just about achieved his wish of avoiding defeat on the 50th anniversary of the Great March On Washington when his career-ending loss at the U.S. Open concluded past midnight at Flushing Meadows on Thursday. The American former world number four had led two sets to love before succumbing to Croatian giant Ivo Karlovic 6-7(2) 3-6 6-4 7-6(2) 7-6(2) in front of more than 10,000 fans, who gave him a standing ovation as he left Louis Armstrong Stadium. ... Full Story | Top |
| India PM likely to make statement on economy on Friday Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 11:09 PM PDT  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told parliament he was willing to make a statement on the state of economy on Friday, when the lawmakers asked him what steps the government was considering to take to deal with the falling rupee. "I cannot deny that the country is faced with a difficult situation," Singh said, in brief remarks to the upper house of parliament on Thursday. "I don't deny there are some domestic factors. There are also some international factors arising out of change in U.S. monetary stance," he said. ... Full Story | Top |
| California wildfire heads deeper into Yosemite, key road closure extended Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 10:58 PM PDT  By Laila Kearney SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yosemite National Park, faced with the spread of a massive California wildfire, extended a key road closure in the park on Wednesday in a move expected to hinder visits to one the nation's top outdoor destinations over the Labor Day weekend. The closure of a long stretch of Tioga Road through the western half of the park comes as the so-called Rim Fire burned deeper into the park and crept closer to the tourist hub of Yosemite Valley. ... Full Story | Top |
| Insight:Syria crisis tests U.S. defense chief wary of war Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 10:55 PM PDT  By Phil Stewart BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei (Reuters) - Since U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel left for Southeast Asia last week, he has been wrestling with a dilemma at the heart of Washington's policy on Syria and Hagel's own guiding philosophy - when and how to go to war. "I think the world has had enough war," Hagel told a forum in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. He was responding to a question about the threat of conflict with China but broadened his answer to talk about war, generally. ... Full Story | Top |
| Carney says rates pressure might trigger more stimulus Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 10:48 PM PDT  By David Milliken NOTTINGHAM (Reuters) - The Bank of England may provide more stimulus for Britain's economy if financial markets get ahead of themselves and threaten to choke off its recovery, its governor said on Wednesday. In his first policy speech since taking over the bank, Mark Carney also announced a relaxation of rules for banks which could boost lending and help Britain's "solid but not stellar" emergence from its deep recession. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombia's high court rules FARC peace talks law constitutional Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 10:22 PM PDT  By Helen Murphy BOGOTA (Reuters) - A Colombian high court ruled on Wednesday that a law that made peace talks possible with Marxist FARC rebels is constitutional, rejecting a legal challenge that could have jeopardized efforts to end five decades of war. The so-called Legal Framework for Peace, approved in Congress last year, modified the constitution and laid the foundation for punishment of war crimes, reparations for victims and eventual peace with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. ... Full Story | Top |
| Colombia president says government ready for peace talks with ELN rebels Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 10:17 PM PDT  By Helen Murphy and Peter Murphy BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos on Wednesday said he is ready to start peace talks with the smaller of two leftist rebel groups, the National Liberation Army, in an effort to end half a century of war in the Andean nation. Santos' decision to engage in dialogue with the guerrilla group, known as the ELN, came after it freed a Canadian geologist this week after holding him hostage for seven months. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Strike on Syria could trigger retaliatory attacks, cyberwar Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 10:09 PM PDT  By Warren Strobel and David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It's a truism often repeated in the Pentagon and across the U.S. security establishment: In war, the enemy gets a vote. A U.S.-led cruise missile attack on Syria in response to its alleged use of chemical weapons, which seems increasingly likely in the coming days, could provoke reprisals from Damascus and its backers, ranging from retaliatory missile strikes to terrorist attacks and cyberwar, according to government officials and private analysts. U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Use of sleeping pills highest among older Americans: CDC Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 09:21 PM PDT By Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Older U.S. adults, particularly women, are more likely to use prescription sleep medications to try to get the minimum seven hours of sleep experts generally recommend, U.S. data released on Thursday showed. Use of such pills, which include Sanofi SA's Ambien and other similar drugs, was significantly higher for those in their 50s as well as age 80 and older, according to the findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall about 8.6 million people, or 4 percent of U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. fast-food workers plan nationwide strikes over minimum wage Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 09:16 PM PDT By Atossa Araxia Abrahamian NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fast-food workers across the United States are expected to stage their largest strike to date on Thursday in an almost year-long campaign to raise wages in the service sector. Employees of McDonald's Corp, Wendy's Restaurants LLC, Burger King Worldwide Inc and others have pledged to walk off their jobs in 50 cities from Boston, Mass, to Alameda, Calif., organizers say. They are expected to be joined by retail employees at stores owned by Macy's Inc, Sears Holdings Corp and Dollar Tree Inc in some cities. ... Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Syria, aided by Iran, could strike back at U.S. in cyberspace Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 09:13 PM PDT  By Joseph Menn SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - If the United States attacks Syria, it will be the first time it strikes a country that is capable of waging retaliatory cyberspace attacks on American targets. The risk is heightened by Syria's alliance with Iran, which has built up its cyber capability in the past three years, and already gives the country technical and other support. If Iran stood with Syria in any fray with the United States that would significantly increase the cyber threat, security experts said. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. teen accused in slaying of World War Two veteran says it was drug deal gone bad Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 08:49 PM PDT By Keith Coffman (Reuters) - One of the two Washington state teenagers accused of murdering a World War Two veteran said he beat up the survivor of the Battle of Okinawa after the 88-year-old man tried "ripping him off" in a drug deal, court documents in the case said. Kenan Adams-Kinard, 16, made the statement to friends as he was being sought in the beating death of Delbert "Shorty" Belton, according to an affidavit filed by a Spokane police detective in support of a criminal complaint against the suspect. ... Full Story | Top |
| California prison crowding plan neglects rehabilitation: lawmaker Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 08:34 PM PDT  By Sharon Bernstein LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A plan by California Governor Jerry Brown to ease prison crowding by leasing space in county jails and private lockups came under fire Wednesday from lawmakers who advocate spending more for rehabilitation and mental health services. Fellow Democrats in the state Senate, led by Darrell Steinberg, condemned Brown's $315 million proposal as a short-term fix. "Temporarily expanding California's prison capacity is neither sustainable nor fiscally responsible," Senate leader Steinberg wrote in a letter to Brown. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. probe into JPMorgan hiring practices widens: Bloomberg Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 08:02 PM PDT  HONG KONG (Reuters) - U.S. government investigations into the hiring practices of JPMorgan in China have uncovered evidence including a spreadsheet that links hires to specific deals, Bloomberg News reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter. The Justice Department has joined the Securities and Exchange Commission in looking into whether JPMorgan hired people in China because their family members would in turn offer business to the bank, the report said, citing one of the people. ... Full Story | Top |
| After 24 years, San Francisco Bay area prepares for new bridge Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 07:54 PM PDT  By Ronnie Cohen SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The eastern span of a Depression-era bridge connecting San Francisco to Oakland was retired on Wednesday night, 24 years after it partially collapsed during a major earthquake. But the big party once planned for next Tuesday, when a majestic $6 billion replacement bridge is scheduled to open, has been canceled - fitting for a project that was six years late, cost five times initial estimates and suffers from broken seismic safety bolts that some critics say render it unsafe. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. judge tosses BlackRock iShares compensation case Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 07:45 PM PDT By Nate Raymond (Reuters) - BlackRock Inc has won the dismissal of a lawsuit claiming it looted securities-lending revenues from iShares exchange-traded funds investors, with a U.S. judge ruling the plaintiffs did not have a right to bring the case against the money manager. The lawsuit, filed in January, claimed that the iShares exchange-traded funds provided "grossly excessive compensation" to BlackRock, which was hired to advise and manage the funds. ... Full Story | Top |
| Female midshipman testifies in U.S. Naval Academy rape case Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 06:53 PM PDT By Lacey Johnson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A female midshipman testified on Wednesday she woke up disheveled, in pain and with a clouded recollection of the party in which three former U.S. Naval Academy football players are accused of raping her. Three midshipmen - Tra'ves Bush, Eric Graham and Joshua Tate - are charged with sexually assaulting the woman in April 2012 after she blacked out from drinking too much at an off-campus party. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama makes case for punishing Syria, but possible delays loom Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 06:38 PM PDT  By Matt Spetalnick and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama made the case on Wednesday for a limited military strike against Syria in response to last week's chemical weapons attack even as he faced new obstacles with British allies and U.S. lawmakers that could delay any imminent action. Casting the need for intervention in Syria's civil war on the basis of U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| China urges restraint over Syria tensions, calls for calm Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 06:26 PM PDT  BEIJING (Reuters) - China's foreign minister urged restraint on Thursday in the growing tensions over Syria, saying any military intervention in the crisis would only worsen turmoil in the Middle East. President Barack Obama vowed on Wednesday that the Syrian government would face "international consequences" for last week's deadly chemical attack, but made clear any military response would be limited to avoid dragging the United States into another war in the Middle East. ... Full Story | Top |
| King's relatives involved in bus accident after 'I Have a Dream' rally Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 06:12 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A tour bus carrying relatives of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. collided with a minivan after leaving a ceremony in the U.S. capital marking the 50th anniversary of his "I Have a Dream" speech, but no one was seriously hurt, police said. The accident near the base of the Washington Monument occurred shortly before 6 p.m. EDT (2200 GMT), U.S. Park Police Sergeant J. Innis said. The minivan ran through a red light, forcing the driver of the tour bus to slam on the brakes in a failed effort to avoid a collision, police said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Biggest U.S. rocket blasts off with spy satellite Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 06:09 PM PDT  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An unmanned Delta 4-Heavy rocket, the largest in the U.S. fleet, blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Wednesday to put a classified spy satellite into orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office, officials said Wednesday. The 23-story-tall rocket lifted off at 11:03 a.m. local time/1803 GMT from a launch pad originally built for, but never used by, NASA's now-retired space shuttles. No details about the rocket's spy-satellite payload were released. ... Full Story | Top |
| San Bernardino, California, gets bankruptcy protection Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:50 PM PDT  By Tim Reid RIVERSIDE, California (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge on Wednesday granted bankruptcy protection to the California city of San Bernardino, paving the way for a precedent-setting battle between bondholders and California's giant public pension system. The case is being closely watched by other U.S. cities, including Detroit, which declared the biggest U.S. municipal bankruptcy last month, where budgets are burdened by soaring pension costs. Judge Meredith Jury of the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. congressional leaders to receive Syria briefing on Thursday Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:50 PM PDT  By Patricia Zengerle and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior Obama administration officials will brief congressional leaders on Thursday on the situation in Syria, congressional aides said, amid complaints by lawmakers they have not been properly consulted as the president deliberates about possible military action. The briefing by senior White House and national security officials will be with leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives, and the chairmen and ranking members of national security committees, Democratic and Republican congressional aides said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fort Hood shooter's death sentence heads for appeal with or without him Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:49 PM PDT  By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - Major Nidal Hasan may wish to die a martyr, as he told mental health evaluators before his trial in the shooting deaths of 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, but his execution is likely years away. The case against Hasan, who was convicted of the 2009 murders of 13 people at the Army base and sentenced to death on Wednesday by a military jury, will now move to a lengthy appeals process that includes several stages of review. ... Full Story | Top |
| Blackstone to pay $85 million to settle lawsuit over IPO Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:48 PM PDT By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - Blackstone Group LP has agreed to pay $85 million to settle an investor class action lawsuit accusing the private equity giant of not disclosing bad investments before its $4.7 billion initial public offering in 2007. The proposed deal follows more than five years of litigation between investors and Blackstone and helps the world's largest private equity firm avert a rare securities class action trial that was due to begin September 16. The settlement, disclosed in court papers filed Wednesday in U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Flash floods kill 24 in Mali's capital Bamako, minister says Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:19 PM PDT BAMAKO (Reuters) - Twenty-four people were killed in Mali's riverside capital Bamako on Wednesday when torrential rains provoked flash floods that washed away homes in several neighborhoods, a government minister said. "The heavy rains led to flooding ... These floods caused 24 deaths," Tiefing Konate, the country's minister of internal security and civilian protection, said in a statement distributed to local media. Bankoni, Taliko, Lafiabougou, Djicoroni Woyowayanko, Lafiabougou Bougouba and Bougoudani neighborhoods were all hit by floods during rain storms that lasted most of the day. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rwanda blocks proposed U.N. sanctions for two Congo rebels Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:04 PM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Rwanda blocked a joint U.S.-French proposal to impose U.N. sanctions on two senior commanders in the M23 rebel group in eastern Congo, arguing that the evidence against the men was weak, Rwandan and other U.N. envoys said on Wednesday. The latest diplomatic wrangling in New York came as U.N. helicopters and artillery attacked M23 rebel positions near the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday in support of an offensive by the Congolese armed forces. One U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Danone-owned milk formula maker considers legal action vs. Fonterra Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:03 PM PDT  WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A Danone SA unit said on Thursday it was considering legal action against New Zealand's Fonterra after the maker of Karicare milk formula had to recall products due to incorrect tests that led to global food safety scare. Initial tests prompted Fonterra to warn early this month that whey protein used in the products contained a bacteria which may cause botulism. Subsequent testing by New Zealand's Ministry of Primary Industries showed a different strain of the bacteria which posed no safety threat. ... Full Story | Top |
| Montana judge criticized for 31-day sentence for ex-teacher who raped teen Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:01 PM PDT By Laura Zuckerman (Reuters) - A prominent women's rights group criticized a Montana judge on Wednesday for handing down only a one-month sentence for a former teacher convicted of raping a 14-year-old student, whom the judge said seemed older than her age. State District Judge G. Todd Baugh sentenced the teacher to 15 years in jail on Monday, then suspended all but 31 days of that term for the 2007 rape of Cherice Moralez, who killed herself in 2010, legal documents show. He also received credit for one day served. ... Full Story | Top |
| Heir to fortune hidden in Switzerland pleads guilty to U.S. tax fraud Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 04:50 PM PDT By Patrick Temple-West WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An heir to a wealthy New York investment manager's fortune has pleaded guilty to conspiring with family members to hide more than $12 million from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service in Swiss bank accounts, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday. Henry Seggerman, 60, and his five siblings inherited about $24 million from their father, Harry Seggerman, who died in May 2001, according to court documents released by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria evacuates most army buildings in Damascus: residents Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 04:47 PM PDT  By Khaled Yacoub Oweis AMMAN (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad's forces appear to have evacuated most personnel from army and security command headquarters in central Damascus in preparation for a Western military strike, residents and opposition sources said on Wednesday. U.S.-led air or missile strikes on Syria look all but certain after the United States and European and Middle Eastern allies blamed a suspected poison gas attack that killed hundreds in the city on Aug 21 on President Bashar al-Assad's forces. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama makes case for punishing Syria over gas attack Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 04:38 PM PDT  By Matt Spetalnick and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama vowed on Wednesday that the Syrian government would face "international consequences" for last week's deadly chemical attack, but made clear any military response would be limited to avoid dragging the United States into another war in the Middle East. Casting the need for action based on U.S. national security interests instead of humanitarian grounds, Obama made his case to a war-weary American public for what is looking like an all-but-certain use of force in Syria, where he has long been reluctant to intervene. ... Full Story | Top |
| Panama says Cuban weapons shipment 'without doubt' violated U.N. sanctions Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 04:23 PM PDT By Lomi Kriel PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Cuban weapons seized aboard a North Korean ship in Panamanian waters last month are "without doubt" a violation of United Nations sanctions against arms transfers to Pyongyang, Panama said Wednesday, citing a U.N. report. Panamanian authorities say they were given a preliminary report, presented by a panel of experts to the Sanctions Committee at the U.N. Security Council, according to a statement by Panama's Ministry of Security. "According to the first report presented by the panel of experts from the U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama lays out case for 'tailored' strike against Syria: PBS Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 04:10 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama made the case on Wednesday for a limited military strike against Syria to deter the future use of chemical weapons, but added he had not made a decision yet on whether to take action. Obama's administration has spent the past week discussing how to respond to an attack in the suburbs of Damascus that killed hundreds of people, an attack that the president said could only have been made by the Syrian government. A senior U.S. official has said strikes could last several days and would involve other country's armed forces. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fort Hood shooter sentenced to death for 2009 killings Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 04:06 PM PDT  By Ellen Wulfhorst and Jana J. Pruet FORT HOOD, Texas (Reuters) - A military jury on Wednesday sentenced a U.S. Army psychiatrist to death for murdering 13 people in 2009 at Fort Hood, Texas, where he gunned down unarmed soldiers in what he later called retaliation for U.S. wars in the Muslim world. Major Nidal Hasan shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest" in Arabic) during the attack and later said he wanted to be a martyr. Now he faces death by lethal injection, pending an automatic appeal, for the rampage that also wounded 31 people. ... Full Story | Top |
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