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| U.N. Security Council demands elimination of Syria chemical arms Friday, Sep 27, 2013 11:56 PM PDT  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution on Friday that demands the eradication of Syria's chemical weapons but does not threaten automatic punitive action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government if it does not comply. The unanimous vote by the 15-member Security Council capped weeks of intense diplomacy between Russia and the United States. It was based on a deal between the two countries reached in Geneva earlier this month following an August 21 sarin nerve gas attack on a Damascus suburb that killed hundreds. The U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama, Iran's Rouhani hold historic phone call Friday, Sep 27, 2013 05:05 PM PDT  By Jeff Mason and Louis Charbonneau WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke by telephone on Friday, the highest-level contact between the two countries in three decades and a sign that they are serious about reaching a pact on Tehran's nuclear program. The call is the culmination of a dramatic shift in tone between Iran and the United States, which cut diplomatic relations with Iran a year after the 1979 revolution that toppled U.S. ally Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and led to the U.S. Embassy hostage crisis in Tehran. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama urges feuding Congress to avoid shutdown Friday, Sep 27, 2013 04:05 PM PDT  By Rachelle Younglai and Thomas Ferraro WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama sternly warned the Congress on Friday against a government shutdown on October 1 as lawmakers struggled to pass an emergency spending bill that Republicans want to use to defund Obama's healthcare reform law. While there was still a chance of averting a shutdown, time was running out as House of Representatives Republicans fought with each other over the next steps. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greek police arrest leader of far-right Golden Dawn party Saturday, Sep 28, 2013 12:33 AM PDT  ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek police arrested the leader and the spokesman of the far-right Golden Dawn party on Saturday on charges of founding a criminal organization, and have issued arrest warrants for dozens more party members and lawmakers, police officials said. Police are investigating the party for links with the killing of an anti-fascist rapper by a self-proclaimed Golden Dawn supporter. The stabbing to death of Pavlos Fissas on September 17 sparked violent protests in the capital of Athens. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fed doves make case for patience on tightening policy Friday, Sep 27, 2013 03:57 PM PDT  By Ann Saphir, Balazs Koranyi and Jonathan Spicer MINNEAPOLIS/OSLO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve must be patient in deciding when to scale back bond purchases, top officials said on Friday, with one arguing it could wait "years" to lift interest rates and another suggesting it could tolerate inflation rising to 3 percent. ... Full Story | Top |
| Penney stock plunges on share sale, lower cash forecast Friday, Sep 27, 2013 05:52 PM PDT  By Phil Wahba and Olivia Oran (Reuters) - J.C. Penney Co Inc's decision to shore up its cash reserves by issuing almost $1 billion in new shares sent its stock tumbling more than 13 percent Friday. Earlier in the day, the struggling U.S. department store chain had cut its forecast of year-end cash reserves, suggesting that it is burning through money faster than expected. Penney said the 84 million shares in the offering had priced at $9.65 each. Underwriters have the option to buy another 12.6 million shares. ... Full Story | Top |
| New Jersey judge allows same-sex marriage; state plans appeal Friday, Sep 27, 2013 08:56 PM PDT  By Joseph Ax and Edith Honan NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New Jersey judge ordered state officials on Friday to allow same-sex couples to marry starting on October 21, saying the current civil union system unfairly deprived them of federal benefits available to married couples. A spokesman for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie indicated the state would appeal, but did not say whether it would seek a stay to stop the ruling from taking effect. ... Full Story | Top |
| Refugee boat sinks on way to Australia, 21 dead: Indonesian police Friday, Sep 27, 2013 08:37 PM PDT  JAKARTA (Reuters) - A boat carrying migrants to Australia sank off the Indonesian coast on Friday, killing at least 21 people, Indonesian police said, a sign that Australia's tough new immigration rules may not be enough to deter would-be asylum seekers. The latest disaster to strike refugees using Indonesia's southern coast to try to reach Australia will cast a shadow over a visit to Jakarta on Monday by Australia's new conservative prime minister Tony Abbott, whose tough stance on immigration was at the heart of his election campaign. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italian PM to call confidence vote as government nears collapse Friday, Sep 27, 2013 03:25 PM PDT  By Francesca Piscioneri and Giuseppe Fonte ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta will call a confidence vote in parliament after a showdown with center-right partners in his fragile coalition scuppered a vital package of budget measures on Friday and took his government to the brink of collapse. Letta flew back from a visit to New York with coalition unity already in tatters after a threat by center-right lawmakers to walk out over former premier Silvio Berlusconi's battle against a conviction for tax fraud. ... Full Story | Top |
| Scientists more convinced mankind is main cause of warming Friday, Sep 27, 2013 05:51 PM PDT  By Alister Doyle and Simon Johnson STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Leading climate scientists said on Friday they were more convinced than ever that humans are the main culprits for global warming, and predicted the impact from greenhouse gas emissions could linger for centuries. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in a report that a hiatus in warming this century, when temperatures have risen more slowly despite growing emissions, was a natural variation that would not last. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. probing more Syria chemical attacks, inspections to start Friday, Sep 27, 2013 09:07 AM PDT  By Dominic Evans BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.N. chemical weapons inspectors in Syria are investigating seven cases of alleged chemical or biological weapons use, including three incidents around Damascus after the August 21 attack which almost triggered U.S. air strikes. In a statement from Damascus on Friday, the United Nations said inspectors probing the attacks had returned to Syria on Wednesday and expected to finalize their work on Monday on a report to be issued by late October. The United States and its allies say an initial U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Eight held over Nairobi mall attack, al Shabaab issues new threat Friday, Sep 27, 2013 03:55 PM PDT By James Macharia and Matthew Mpoke Bigg NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyan authorities are holding eight people in connection with an attack by Islamist militants on a Nairobi shopping mall and have released three others after the assault that killed 67 civilians and soldiers, the interior minister said on Friday. Somali Islamist group al Shabaab said Saturday's attack, which ended after a four-day siege by soldiers and police, was "just the premiere of Act 1" and suggested it would be followed by other actions by its "warriors". ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. consumer spending rises as wages boost family income Friday, Sep 27, 2013 09:42 AM PDT  By Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. household spending rose in August as incomes were buoyed by solid wage gains, signs that momentum could be growing in the economy despite months of harsh government austerity. American families spent 0.3 percent more last month than the month before, which was in line with expectations, Commerce Department data showed on Friday. Higher wages drove incomes up 0.4 percent, the most since February. Analysts said the increase could drive faster spending in the months ahead. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brazil polls show Rousseff's popularity still on the rebound Friday, Sep 27, 2013 10:35 AM PDT  By Maria Carolina Marcello BRASILIA (Reuters) - President Dilma Rousseff continues to recover popularity lost after the massive protests that shook Brazil in June, bolstering her chances of re-election next year, two polls published on Friday showed. The polls confirm the results of other recent public opinion surveys showing Rousseff has overcome the dramatic drop in support she suffered after the protests, which targeted all of Brazil's political elite, including her ruling Workers' Party. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israeli forces clash with Palestinians over al-Aqsa visits Friday, Sep 27, 2013 10:33 AM PDT By Crispian Balmer JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli police clashed with Palestinian protesters in Jerusalem's Old City, the occupied West Bank and Gaza on Friday, reflecting growing tensions over an increase in Jewish visits to the al-Aqsa mosque compound. Palestinian militants and youth groups have called for a general uprising in response to the entry by Jewish groups under police escort to the Jerusalem holy site, which is revered by both Muslims and Jews. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N. Security Council set to vote on Syria chemical arms resolution Friday, Sep 27, 2013 04:07 PM PDT  By John Irish and Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council is set to adopt a resolution on Friday on eradicating Syria's chemical arsenal after Russia and the United States overcame a bitter deadlock to avert U.S. military action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government. Amid newfound unity of the veto-wielding council members - Russia, China, France, the United States and Britain - French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he hoped a date would also be agreed on Friday for so-called Geneva 2 peace talks on Syria. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama, Iran's Rouhani hold historic phone call Friday, Sep 27, 2013 03:29 PM PDT By Jeff Mason and Louis Charbonneau WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke by telephone on Friday, the highest-level contact between the two countries in three decades and a sign that both sides are serious about reaching a pact on Tehran's nuclear program. Obama, who pledged as a presidential candidate in 2007 his willingness to have direct contact with U.S. adversaries, had hoped to cross paths with Rouhani at the U.N. General Assembly, but the Iranian side decided an encounter was too complicated. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama speaks by phone to Iran's Rouhani, sees chance for progress Friday, Sep 27, 2013 01:30 PM PDT  By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke by phone on Friday, the highest-level contact between the two countries since the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and a sign that both sides are serious about reaching a pact on Iran's nuclear program. Obama had hoped to meet with Rouhani earlier this week while both men were in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, but Iran decided a meeting would be too complicated. "I reiterated to President Rouhani what I said in New York. ... Full Story | Top |
| Sudanese police fire teargas as crowds demand Bashir resign Friday, Sep 27, 2013 11:29 AM PDT  By Khalid Abdelaziz and Ulf Laessing KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Police fired teargas on Friday to disperse thousands of Sudanese demanding that President Omar Hassan al-Bashir step down, a day after clashes in which rights groups accused security forces of shooting dead at least 50 people. Bashir, who seized power in a 1989 coup, has been spared the sort of Arab Spring uprising that unseated autocratic rulers from Tunisia to Yemen since 2011, but anger has risen over corruption and rising inflation in the vast African country. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran's Rouhani says he wants quick results from nuclear talks Friday, Sep 27, 2013 12:17 PM PDT  By Louis Charbonneau and Yeganeh Torbati NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Friday he wanted talks with major powers on Iran's nuclear program to yield results in a short time, while France challenged Tehran to address Western concerns even sooner than it has proposed. Rouhani made his remarks shortly before he left for Tehran at the end of his debut visit to the United Nations for its annual meeting of the General Assembly. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran, U.N. nuclear agency to meet again after "constructive" talks Friday, Sep 27, 2013 09:47 AM PDT  By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran and the U.N. nuclear agency held "constructive" talks on Friday and made plans to meet again in one month, adding to momentum for a negotiated end to a standoff that could otherwise potentially flare into war. The discussions in Vienna, home of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), took place as new President Hassan Rouhani was telling world powers in New York he wanted a deal within months to end the long-running dispute. ... Full Story | Top |
| France challenges Iran to act quickly on nuclear talks Friday, Sep 27, 2013 10:32 AM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - France's foreign minister challenged Iran on Friday to address concerns about its atomic program sooner than the one year it has proposed, because of concern that Tehran could forge ahead with nuclear production despite negotiations with major powers. "The Iranian foreign minister discussed the heart of the matter ... he spoke about taking a year to move forward, but I reminded him that his president had spoken about three to six months, and he said that he'd be pleased if things could be done more quickly," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters in New ... Full Story | Top |
| Japan's Abe says no concessions, but no escalation in islet spat with China Friday, Sep 27, 2013 10:54 AM PDT  By Paul Eckert NEW YORK (Reuters) - Japan will make no concessions on sovereignty over Pacific islets also claimed by China, but will not make any moves to escalate the situation, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday. Tokyo is locked in a territorial dispute with Beijing over a group of East China Sea islets, called the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. They have become a theater for cat-and-mouse operations by patrol vessels from both sides. "The intrusions by Chinese government vessels in our territorial waters are continuing, to our regret. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brazil's railroad plan has yet to leave the station Friday, Sep 27, 2013 09:30 AM PDT  By Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) - More than a year has passed since Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff announced an ambitious plan to raise billions of dollars to lay much-need railroad tracks across this continent-sized nation. Not a single mile has been laid, however. Investors are balking at the push to build some 10,000 km (6,000 miles) of track because they worry that government policies might not make it worth their while. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. internal watchdog finds NSA workers spied on significant others Friday, Sep 27, 2013 07:06 AM PDT  By Alina Selyukh WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At least a dozen U.S. National Security Agency employees have abused secret surveillance programs in the past decade, most often to spy on their significant others, according to the latest findings of the agency's internal watchdog. In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee's top Republican, Charles Grassley, NSA Inspector General George Ellard outlined 12 instances of "intentional misuse" of the agency's intelligence gathering programs since January 1, 2003. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pakistan quake toll reaches 515, insurgents hamper aid efforts Friday, Sep 27, 2013 05:20 AM PDT By Gul Yousufzai ARAWAN, Pakistan (Reuters) - The death toll from an earthquake in southwestern Pakistan has reached 515, a provincial official said Friday, as insurgent attacks threaten relief efforts and survivors complain of lack of shelter from the scorching sun. Babar Yaqoob, the Chief Secretary of Baluchistan, gave the updated death toll as he toured the destroyed region of Awaran, where the 7.7 magnitude quake struck on Tuesday. Bodies were still being discovered in houses whose mud walls and wooden roof beams had collapsed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama: U.N. deal on Syria chemical weapons would be enforceable Friday, Sep 27, 2013 09:57 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday any United Nations deal on Syria's chemical weapons would be legally binding and enforceable. The president said an agreement at the United Nations on controlling Syria's chemical weapons could be a victory for the international community. He added that there are concerns about whether the Syrian government would follow through on its chemical weapons commitments. The president made his comments after meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the White House. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Sandra Maler) Full Story | Top |
| Next Fed chair must not trim stimulus: Kocherlakota Friday, Sep 27, 2013 12:33 PM PDT  By Ann Saphir MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Whoever takes over next year as chair of the U.S. central bank must show the world the Federal Reserve will do "whatever it takes" to boost employment and resist the inevitable calls to pare stimulus, a top Fed official said on Friday. Narayana Kocherlakota, president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank, told Reuters that the U.S. central bank should only slow its $85 billion-a-month bond-buying program if it loses effectiveness, or if a smaller program would work better. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bus blast kills 17 government employees in northwest Pakistan Friday, Sep 27, 2013 07:28 AM PDT  By Hamid Ullah Khan PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - At least 17 people were killed on Friday when a remote-controlled bomb exploded on a bus carrying government officials in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, officials said. The attack took place on a main road in Peshawar, near the frontier tribal areas of the northwest where Islamist militants have their strongholds. "We have so far received 17 bodies," said the spokesman for the Lady Reading Hospital. "There were several people on the roof of the bus, which was full, so we expect the death toll to rise. ... Full Story | Top |
| Life in limbo for the displaced of Damascus Friday, Sep 27, 2013 09:09 AM PDT  DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Last winter Abu Bassim fled with his wife and four children from heavy fighting in the southeastern suburbs of Damascus to seek refuge in his sister's house on the other side of the capital. Seven months later the Sunni Muslim family is living in hiding in the house in Lawan, a concrete sprawl on the city's southwestern edge, after authorities denied Abu Bassim a residency permit which would let him live in the neighborhood. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chinese firm under U.S. sanctions wins Turkish missile deal Friday, Sep 27, 2013 08:03 AM PDT  By Ece Toksabay ISTANBUL (Reuters) - NATO member Turkey announced on Thursday it had agreed a $4 billion co-production deal for a long-range air and missile defense system with a Chinese firm hit by U.S. sanctions, rejecting rival bids from Russian, U.S. and European firms. The decision to take the FD-2000 from China Precision Machinery Import and Export Corp (CPMIEC) underlined the growing strength of China's defense industry as well as Beijing's political interest in the Middle East and Turkey's increasingly independent line towards Western partners. ... Full Story | Top |
| Senegal seeks French, Chinese help as water crisis hits capital Friday, Sep 27, 2013 08:07 AM PDT  By Diadie Ba DAKAR (Reuters) - Senegal has appealed to France and China for help to repair damage to a water pipeline that has deprived much of the capital of running water for two weeks, triggering pockets of violent protests. President Macky Sall cut short his visit to New York for the U.N. General Assembly this week to tackle the crisis, which is the most serious since he came to power last year and has highlighted pressures on basic services in the country. ... Full Story | Top |
| Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout's U.S. conviction upheld Friday, Sep 27, 2013 08:53 AM PDT  By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday upheld the conviction of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for conspiring to kill Americans, rejecting his argument that he was a victim of a "vindictive" prosecution, including the international sting that led to his capture. In a case that strained relations between Washington and Moscow, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York on Friday said the U.S. government was motivated to pursue Bout by "widespread concern" that he was engaged in criminal activity, reflected by his inclusion in numerous U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S., Russia agree on Syria U.N. chemical arms measure Friday, Sep 27, 2013 05:05 AM PDT  By John Irish and Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Ending weeks of diplomatic deadlock, the United States and Russia agreed on Thursday on a U.N. Security Council draft resolution that would demand Syria give up its chemical arms, but does not threaten military force if it fails to comply. Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said a deal was struck with Russia "legally obligating" Syria to give up its chemical stockpile and the measure went to the full Security Council in a closed-door meeting on Thursday night. U.N. ... Full Story | Top |
| Scientists more convinced mankind is main cause of warming Friday, Sep 27, 2013 10:20 AM PDT  By Alister Doyle and Simon Johnson STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Leading climate scientists said on Friday they were more convinced than ever that humans are the main culprits for global warming, and predicted the impact from greenhouse gas emissions could linger for centuries. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in a report that a hiatus in warming this century, when temperatures have risen more slowly despite growing emissions, was a natural variation that would not last. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.N., Iran to hold more nuclear talks on October 28 Friday, Sep 27, 2013 05:56 AM PDT  VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran and the U.N. nuclear agency held "constructive" talks on Friday about Iran's disputed atomic program and said they would meet again on October 28. Herman Nackaerts, deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the discussions had been "very constructive" but gave no details. Iran's representative, Ambassador Reza Najafi, said the aim was to reach an agreement "as soon as possible". The IAEA wants to resume an investigation into suspected atomic bomb research by Tehran, which denies the charge. ... Full Story | Top |
| ICC judges say Kenyan deputy president's trial must resume next week Friday, Sep 27, 2013 06:10 AM PDT  By Thomas Escritt AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Judges at the International Criminal Court on Friday rejected a bid by Kenyan deputy president William Ruto to have his trial adjourned until mid-October to allow him to deal with the aftermath of the attack on a Nairobi shopping mall. The judges said the trial for crimes against humanity must resume on Wednesday, allowing Ruto to attend a memorial service the day before for the 72 people who died in the 4-day assault, claimed by Somali Islamist militant group al Shabaab. ... Full Story | Top |
| Building collapse kills four in India's Mumbai, scores trapped Friday, Sep 27, 2013 04:16 AM PDT By Rajendra Jadhav MUMBAI (Reuters) - A five-storey apartment block collapsed on Friday in the Indian financial centre of Mumbai, killing at least four people and trapping scores in the latest accident to underscore shoddy building standards in Asia's third-largest economy. The building collapsed at about 5:45 a.m. (0015 GMT) and more than 110 people were still trapped by early afternoon, said Ram Barot, a official of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. The corporation's employees were housed in the building. ... Full Story | Top |
| In first census since war, Bosnia's 'Others' threaten ethnic order Friday, Sep 27, 2013 04:53 AM PDT  By Daria Sito-Sucic SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Darko Brkan wants to upend Bosnia's constitutional order, and he's going to use the country's first census as an independent state to do it. The 15-day population count begins on Tuesday, a milestone in Bosnia's recovery from a 1992-95 war but one that is stirring tensions that stifle development and threaten its future. Brkan, 34, is behind a campaign calling on Bosnians to reject the ethnic and religious labels that dominate discourse and divide Bosnia more than two decades since it split from Yugoslavia and descended into war. ... Full Story | Top |
| BP battles for billions in new Gulf trial phase Friday, Sep 27, 2013 02:17 AM PDT  By Terry Wade and Andrew Callus HOUSTON/LONDON (Reuters) - BP will battle to hold down fines that could hit $18 billion in a new phase of the Gulf of Mexico trial that will rule on how much oil it spilled in 2010 and judge its efforts to plug its well. Starting on Monday in New Orleans, this second of three phases of a trial determining responsibilities for the worst marine pollution ever seen in the United States, could - in the worst outcome for the British firm - land BP with a bill five times greater than the $3.5 billion it has set aside for fines. ... Full Story | Top |
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