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| China court jails four security officials over watermelon vendor's death: Xinhua Friday, Dec 27, 2013 10:20 PM PST  A Chinese court jailed four security officials for up to 11 years over the death of a watermelon vendor, the official Xinhua news agency reported, an incident that triggered public outcry over perceived abuses of power by city patrols. Deng Zhengjia, 56, died after a fight with the security officials in the south-central province of Hunan in July. A court in Hunan found the four men guilty of intentionally assaulting Deng and sentenced them to jail terms ranging from three-and-a-half to 11 years, the report late on Friday said. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. military personnel released after being held by Libya government Friday, Dec 27, 2013 10:18 PM PST Four American military personnel were detained by the Libyan government on Friday and held in custody for several hours before being released, U.S. officials said. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said President Barack Obama's administration was looking into the incident, but confirmed that "all four U.S. military personnel being held in Libyan government custody have been released." A U.S. defense official said the Americans appeared to have been checking possible evacuation routes for the U.S. embassy in Tripoli. Psaki said the United States, which backed the 2011 uprising against Muammar Gaddafi, valued its relationship with "the new Libya." "We have a strategic partnership based on shared interests and our strong support for Libya's historic democratic transition," she said. Full Story | Top |
| Zimbabwe ambassador to Australia seeks asylum: media Friday, Dec 27, 2013 09:31 PM PST By Morag MacKinnon PERTH, Australia (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's ambassador to Australia has asked for political asylum just days before her term ends saying she fears for her safety if she goes home, media reported on Saturday. Jacqueline Zwambila, who is a member of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), was appointed to Australia to renew ties between the countries after a unity government was formed in Zimbabwe in 2009. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai shared power with veteran leader Robert Mugabe in the unity government until a July 31 election which Mugabe won. Full Story | Top |
| Thai anti-government protester shot dead: hospital official Friday, Dec 27, 2013 08:25 PM PST  By Sinthana Kosolpradit BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai protester was killed and four wounded, an emergency official said on Saturday, after an unidentified gunman opened fire on demonstrators whose efforts to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra flared into violence over the past two days. The shooting came 48 hours after clashes between police about 500 protesters, who are determined to disrupt a snap February 2 election called by Yingluck, outside a voting registration center in which two people were killed and scores wounded. Petphong Kamjonkitkarn, director of the Erawan Emergency Center in the Thai capital Bangkok, told Reuters one man in his 30s had been killed and four others suffered gunshot wounds. The protesters have been rallying for weeks in their attempt to topple Yingluck, who they see as a puppet of her brother and former premier, billionaire tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, and have vowed to disrupt the election. Full Story | Top |
| China formally eases one-child policy, abolishes labor camps Friday, Dec 27, 2013 08:05 PM PST  China formally approved on Saturday easing its decades-long one-child policy and the abolition of a controversial labor camp system, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Both were among a sweeping raft of reforms announced last month after a meeting of the ruling Communist Party that mapped out policy for the next decade. The plan was envisioned by the government about five years ago, with officials worried that the strict controls were undermining economic growth and contributing to a rapidly ageing population China had no hope of supporting financially. The resolution, formally approved by China's largely rubber- stamp parliament on Saturday, will allow local legislatures to decide when to implement the policies, Xinhua said. Full Story | Top |
| Washington state judge excludes airport from SeaTac's $15 minimum wage Friday, Dec 27, 2013 07:55 PM PST By Jonathan Kaminsky OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) - The voter-approved law establishing a $15 minimum hourly wage for travel and hospitality workers in a Seattle suburb encompassing the region's main international airport does not apply to workers at the airport, a judge ruled on Friday. King County Superior Court Judge Andrea Darvas ruled that the city of SeaTac does not have the authority to set workplace rules within Seattle-Tacoma International Airport because the aviation hub is owned by the Port of Seattle, a separate government entity. Supporters of the law, who view it as an example for communities elsewhere to emulate in their fight for a living wage, said they will appeal the decision directly to the Washington state Supreme Court. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. judge won't block Idaho wolf, coyote-killing competition Friday, Dec 27, 2013 07:34 PM PST By Laura Zuckerman SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday denied a request by conservation groups to block a weekend hunting competition in Idaho that targets wolves and coyotes and has been condemned by wildlife advocates as an inhumane "killing contest." More than 100 contestants from Idaho and surrounding states, including Wyoming, signed up on Friday for the so-called coyote and wolf derby, and sponsors said they expected as many 300 hunters to register by the start of the event. The two-person hunting teams were to begin fanning out on Saturday morning into national forest land around the town of Salmon in the mountains of east-central Idaho. But some ranchers and outfitters in Idaho see the competition as a recreational form of wildlife management aimed at reducing the number of nuisance predators threatening livestock and big game such as elk that are prized by hunters. "This is predator-control time," said Terry Cummings of Troy Idaho, one of dozens of hunters who registered for the derby at a welding and metal fabrication shop in Salmon called Steel & Ranch. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. bank watchdogs to consider Volcker rule tweak Friday, Dec 27, 2013 07:07 PM PST By Douwe Miedema WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. bank regulators said on Friday they would consider allowing banks to hold on to certain complex securities despite a new rule limiting risky investments. The announcement came after lenders warned in a lawsuit of hefty losses from the so-called Volcker rule. The Volcker rule prohibits banks from owning hedge funds or private equity funds to reduce risk, but the ban included a type of security community banks regard as harmless. The regulators said they would now reconsider whether these instruments could be made exempt and would make a decision no later than January 15. Full Story | Top |
| Relatives seek extended care for brain-dead California girl Friday, Dec 27, 2013 06:12 PM PST By Laila Kearney SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Relatives of a California girl declared brain dead after complications from a tonsillectomy want her moved to a long-term care facility, but face resistance from the hospital where she is due to be disconnected from a breathing machine on Monday. The family of 13-year-old Jahi McMath, who has been without brain function and on a ventilator for two weeks at Children's Hospital in Oakland, California, said they had found an extended-care center willing to take the girl on an indefinite basis, hospital officials said on Friday. But the center will not accept Jahi unless she has surgically implanted ports for breathing and feeding tubes placed in her body before the transfer, family attorney Christopher Dolan said on Thursday. Full Story | Top |
| Four killed, three wounded in Louisiana crime spree Friday, Dec 27, 2013 05:29 PM PST The suspect Ben Edward Freeman, 38, was also believed to have shot three other people in the crime spree that took place on Thursday night in Lafourche Parish, about 45 miles southwest of New Orleans. "Freeman was connected to each of the victims," Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre said in a statement. In the first incident, Freeman is suspected of shooting Lafourche Parish Councilman Louis Phillip Gouaux, his former father-in-law; Susan Gouaux died in the shotgun shooting and the other two were in critical condition at an area hospital. Full Story | Top |
| A&E calls Phil Robertson back to 'Duck Dynasty' after anti-gay flap Friday, Dec 27, 2013 05:14 PM PST By Eric Kelsey LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Cable network A&E said on Friday it was bringing back family patriarch Phil Robertson to the hit reality show "Duck Dynasty" after fans protested his suspension over anti-gay remarks and big-name corporate sponsors stuck by the series. Robertson's remarks to GQ magazine and his subsequent suspension by A&E sparked a nationwide debate over tolerance and religion, with conservative politicians and fans saying that Robertson's beliefs were consistent with the Bible. "As a global media content company, A&E Networks' core values are centered around creativity, inclusion and mutual respect," A&E said in a statement released late Friday in the midst of the holiday season. "We believe it is a privilege for our brands to be invited into people's homes and we operate with a strong sense of integrity and deep commitment to these principles." It was a quick reversal for the network that is jointly owned by Walt Disney Co. and privately held Hearst Corp, but the move was not entirely surprising, given the financial commitment at stake. Full Story | Top |
| Democrats plan big push on jobless aid in new year Friday, Dec 27, 2013 04:48 PM PST  By Caren Bohan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Democrats will make a major push when Congress returns January 6 to renew expired benefits for the unemployed and will seek to pressure Republicans over the issue by painting them as uncaring toward the middle class. Federal unemployment benefits will officially expire for 1.3 million out-of-work Americans on Saturday. With Congress in recess, no last-minute fix is possible. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has vowed to make an extension of the benefits the top issue in his chamber when Congress returns on January 6. Full Story | Top |
| Miami loses bid to dismiss SEC fraud lawsuit Friday, Dec 27, 2013 04:45 PM PST The city of Miami on Friday lost its bid to dismiss a lawsuit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that accused the city of fraud by making misleading statements and omissions in connection with municipal bond offerings. U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga in Miami, Florida, said she was not convinced the SEC's complaint was a "shotgun pleading," rejecting the city's claims the agency failed to allege any false or misleading statement. "Those general allegations support each claim for relief and identify the relevant events, misrepresentations, and omissions advanced by the SEC," Altonaga wrote. The judge also rejected arguments the SEC failed to show that any of the alleged misstatements or omissions were material to investors, saying there was "just enough" to prevent such a finding. Full Story | Top |
| Mali's government presents treason case against former president Friday, Dec 27, 2013 04:32 PM PST  By Adama Diarra BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali's government said on Friday it had presented to the country's highest court a case for high treason against former President Amadou Toumani Toure, who was toppled in a coup d'etat last year. A communique from the prime minister's office said the case before the National Assembly accused Toure of failing in his duty as commander of Mali's armed forces to prevent foreign forces from seizing national territory. The March 2012 coup was prompted by Toure's failure to quell a Tuareg separatist uprising in northern Mali. The takeover, however, allowed armed Islamist groups to seize control of the northern two-thirds of Mali. Full Story | Top |
| Two policemen wounded in Bahrain bomb attack: ministry Friday, Dec 27, 2013 03:39 PM PST MANAMA (Reuters) - Two policemen were severely wounded by a homemade bomb west of the capital Manama, Bahrain's Interior Ministry said on Friday in a message on its Twitter account. The policemen were attacked in al-Bade'e street near al-Maqsha'a village in what the ministry said was "a terror act." It gave no further details. Bahrain, home of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, has been buffeted by political turmoil since 2011 when mostly Shi'ite protesters took to the streets calling for political reforms and more say in the Sunni ruled island kingdom. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Knockout game' Texan denied bail on hate crime charge Friday, Dec 27, 2013 03:33 PM PST A federal judge denied bond on Friday to a white Texas man charged with punching an elderly black man in a suspected race-based attack that the accused recorded as a video with his cell phone, court records show. Conrad Alvin Barrett, 27, is suspected of striking the 79-year-old victim with a single blow that fractured his jaw in two places, according to the criminal complaint filed in federal court in Houston. He stalked his victim," U.S. Magistrate Judge Frances H. Stacy said in court records on Friday, calling the attack vicious. Barrett was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2004 and has been treated with lithium and an anti-depressant, his lawyer George Parnham said, noting that his client also has a history of substance and alcohol abuse. Full Story | Top |
| Russia says Syrian toxin removal deadline will be missed Friday, Dec 27, 2013 03:30 PM PST  By Steve Gutterman MOSCOW (Reuters) - Deadly toxins that were to have been removed from Syria by December 31 under an international effort to rid the country of its chemical arsenal have not yet been delivered to port to be put on ships, a Russian diplomat was quoted as saying on Friday. The deadline will be missed because toxins that can be used to make sarin, VX gas and other agents were being packed up and still faced a potentially hazardous trip to the port of Latakia, RIA news agency quoted Mikhail Ulyanov as saying. Syria has agreed to abandon its chemical weapons by next June under a deal proposed by Russia and hashed out with the United States, after an August 21 sarin gas attack that Western nations blamed on President Bashar al-Assad's government. Damascus agreed to transport the "most critical" chemicals, including around 20 tons of mustard nerve agent, out of the northern port of Latakia by December 31 to be safely destroyed abroad away from the war zone. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. General Assembly approves $5.5 billion budget for 2014/15 Friday, Dec 27, 2013 03:26 PM PST  The United Nations General Assembly on Friday approved a $5.53 billion U.N. budget for 2014-2015, down 1 percent from the total spending during the previous two years. The new biennial budget includes a 2 percent staffing cut, or some 221 posts, and a one year freeze in staff compensation. The so-called core U.N. budget that was adopted does not include peacekeeping, currently running at over $7 billion a year and approved in separate negotiations, or the costs of several major U.N. agencies funded by voluntary contributions from member states. As in past years, the biennial budget negotiations were marked by a tussle between poor countries seeking to raise U.N. development spending and major developed countries, which are the biggest budget contributors, trying to rein in the figures as they struggle to reduce expenditures in their own national budgets. Full Story | Top |
| A&E puts Phil Robertson back on 'Duck Dynasty' after anti-gay flap Friday, Dec 27, 2013 03:17 PM PST By Eric Kelsey LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Cable network A&E said on Friday that Phil Robertson will be allowed to re-join his family in the hit reality show "Duck Dynasty," less than two weeks after the patriarch was suspended over anti-gay comments. Robertson's remarks to GQ magazine and his subsequent suspension by A&E sparked a nationwide debate over tolerance and religion, with conservative politicians and fans saying that Robertson's beliefs were consistent with the Bible. "As a global media content company, A&E Networks' core values are centered around creativity, inclusion and mutual respect," A&E said in a statement released late Friday. "We believe it is a privilege for our brands to be invited into people's homes and we operate with a strong sense of integrity and deep commitment to these principles," added the network, a joint venture of Walt Disney Co. and privately held Hearst Corp. "Duck Dynasty" ranks among the most-watched cable television programs and averages about 8 million viewers per episode. Full Story | Top |
| Abbott Labs settles with U.S. over kickback claims Friday, Dec 27, 2013 03:14 PM PST (Reuters) - Abbott Laboratories has agreed to pay the United States $5.48 million to resolve allegations that it paid improper kickbacks to induce doctors to use some of its products, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Friday. The settlement resolves allegations that Abbott paid well-known doctors for teaching assignments, speaking engagements and conferences, expecting that they would arrange for the hospitals with which they were affiliated to buy Abbott's carotid, biliary and peripheral vascular products. Carotid and peripheral vascular products are implanted to treat circulatory disorders by increasing blood flow, while biliary products are implanted to treat obstructions in the bile ducts, the government said. "Patients have a right to treatment decisions that are based on their own medical needs, not the personal financial interests of their health care providers," Assistant Attorney General Stuart Delery of the Justice Department's civil division said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Italy delays 'Google tax' until July, OKs funds for business, welfare Friday, Dec 27, 2013 02:54 PM PST  By James Mackenzie ROME (Reuters) - Italy delayed the start of its planned Internet tax until July 2014, approved billions of euros in business and welfare measures and extended a ban on media cross-ownership in a final package of year-end legislation approved on Friday. The launch of an Internet tax, sometimes dubbed the "Google tax", passed this week by parliament, will be postponed until July, 1, 2014, Prime Minister Enrico Letta's office said in a statement. The tax, designed to ensure that companies that advertise and sell online in Italy do so only through companies with a tax presence in the country, has been criticized by the European Commission, which expressed doubts on its legality before it was approved in parliament. The package announced after Friday's cabinet meeting included measures to allow Italy to use 6.2 billion euros in European Union funds, which have already been approved, to help small businesses, fight youth unemployment and help local economies by funding the maintenance of historic sites. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. court OKs Bank of America $39 million gender bias deal Friday, Dec 27, 2013 02:53 PM PST  By Jonathan Stempel and Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday approved Bank of America Corp's $39 million settlement of a gender discrimination lawsuit by female brokers over objections that the accord would enshrine bias on Wall Street. U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen in Brooklyn, New York called the settlement "in all respects, fair, reasonable, and adequate." The settlement, announced on September 6, resolved claims on behalf of about 4,800 current and former female financial advisers that women were paid less than men, deprived of handling their fair share of lucrative accounts and faced retaliation if they complained. Bank of America bought Merrill in January 2009. Bill Haldin, a spokesman for Bank of America, in an email said the settlement provides for additional steps that "will enrich our existing diversity, inclusion and development programs, providing even more opportunities for women to succeed as financial advisers." The gender bias accord required Bank of America to hire an independent monitor to oversee improvements and a consultant to study how the bank "teams" brokers. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. judge expands classes in lawsuits over $34 billion mortgage debt Friday, Dec 27, 2013 02:42 PM PST  By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Manhattan federal judge on Friday expanded the scope of class-action litigation accusing banks of concealing the risks of more than $34 billion of mortgage-backed securities prior to the financial crisis. U.S. District Judge Harold Baer said investors may now pursue claims as a group against Citigroup Inc , Goldman Sachs Group Inc and UBS AG over an estimated $11.9 billion of securities. Those offerings were linked to the RALI Mortgage Asset-Backed Pass-Through Certificates, which were issued in 2006 and 2007 by the former Residential Capital LLC. One offering was the subject of a partial $100 million settlement this year. Baer also said investors may pursue a similar case against Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc over an estimated $22.5 billion of securities in 12 offerings linked to the Harborview Mortgage Loan Trusts, which were also created in 2006 and 2007. Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan offers olive branch to rebels, releases prisoners Friday, Dec 27, 2013 02:37 PM PST  By Aaron Maasho and Richard Lough JUBA/NAIROBI (Reuters) - South Sudan said on Friday it was ready for a ceasefire and would release eight of 11 senior politicians arrested over an alleged coup plot, raising hopes it was edging towards a deal to end ethnic-based fighting ravaging the world's newest nation. There was no immediate reaction from Riek Machar, the former vice president who the government accuses of starting the conflict that has spread quickly over the landlocked state, threatening its vital oil industry. Fighting between rival groups of soldiers erupted in the capital Juba on December 15, then triggered clashes in half of South Sudan's 10 states - often along ethnic lines, between Machar's group, the Nuer, and President Salva Kiir's Dinka. The U.N. Security Council approved plans on Tuesday to almost double the number of U.N. peacekeepers in South Sudan to 12,500 troops and 1,323 police in a bid to protect some 63,000 civilians sheltering at its bases. Full Story | Top |
| Obama calls senators to back extension on jobless benefits Friday, Dec 27, 2013 02:12 PM PST  HONOLULU (Reuters) - President Barack Obama called Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island, and Senator Dean Heller, Republican of Nevada, on Friday to back their proposal to extend emergency unemployment benefits for three months. Those benefits will expire on Saturday for about 1.3 million Americans. A vote on the Reed/Heller bill is likely in early January, when the U.S. Senate returns from recess. Obama said his administration would push Congress to act promptly and in bipartisan fashion on the issue. Cutting off the benefits will have a negative impact on U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Connecticut police release Newtown massacre documents Friday, Dec 27, 2013 02:10 PM PST  Connecticut state police released a trove of documents and video on Friday tied to their investigation of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School last year that killed 20 children and six adults. The documents include footage of the school facade, including close-up images of bullet-shattered windows, and a video tour through the cheerfully decorated home the shooter, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, shared with his mother, Nancy Lanza. The December 14, 2012, shooting rampage in Newtown marked one of the deadliest gun violence incidents in U.S. history. "I hope that the release of this report, though painful, will allow those who have been affected by it to continue in their personal process of healing, and will provide helpful information that can be put to use to prevent such tragedies in the future," Commissioner Reuben Bradford said in a letter introducing the documents. Full Story | Top |
| Detroit pension funds seek expedited bankruptcy appeal Friday, Dec 27, 2013 02:09 PM PST  Detroit's two pension funds have asked the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals to hear an expedited appeal of a judge's ruling that the city is eligible for bankruptcy protection. Detroit's two largest unsecured creditors, filed the appeal with the 6th Circuit late Thursday. The expedited appeal would bypass the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. "Resolution of the City's eligibility will have life-changing consequences for active and retired police officers, firefighters, librarians, government clerks, public works employees and many others," attorneys for the pension funds wrote. Full Story | Top |
| Libya's Hariga port to resume exports within days-oil official Friday, Dec 27, 2013 02:06 PM PST  By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libya's eastern Hariga port will resume oil exports within days after protesters agreed to end a four month blockage, an oil official said on Friday. A reopening would be a victory for Prime Minister Ali Zeidan who has been trying to end such blockades, which have reduced Libya's oil output to 250,000 bpd from 1.4 million bpd in July, cutting much needed revenue for rebuilding the state. The protesters in the east, which was the cradle of the revolt that ousted veteran leader Muammar Gaddafi, also have their own victory, of sorts, as Libyan authorities are building a new oil headquarters there, moving it from the capital Tripoli in the west, to appease their calls for greater autonomy. Tribesmen and other protesters have occupied Hariga, located in Tobruk in the far east of Libya, since August to press their financial and autonomy demands despite several government attempts to reopen the terminal. Full Story | Top |
| Four killed, scores wounded in clashes across Egypt Friday, Dec 27, 2013 01:53 PM PST By Maggie Fick CAIRO (Reuters) - Muslim Brotherhood supporters and police clashed across Egypt on Friday, leaving at least four dead in protests after the army-backed government declared the group a terrorist organization. The violence broke out after Friday prayers and the health ministry said 87 people were wounded in the clashes, which flared in Cairo and at least four other cities. A second man was killed in Minya, a bastion of Islamist support south of Cairo, and a third person was killed in the capital, the interior ministry said, without providing further details. Security forces detained at least 265 Brotherhood supporters nationwide, including at least 28 women, the ministry also said. Full Story | Top |
| Obama, Democrats push for extension of unemployment benefits Friday, Dec 27, 2013 01:52 PM PST  By Caren Bohan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - On the eve of the expiration of federal benefits for the long-term unemployed, U.S. President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies are stepping up pressure on Republicans to renew the program. Top White House economic adviser Gene Sperling said in a statement issued on Friday that a failure to renew emergency jobless benefits would harm the economy and he urged Congress to move quickly to pass a short-term extension of the aid. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, has vowed to bring to a vote a bill extending federal unemployment insurance benefits as soon as Congress returns from its holiday recess on January 6. "While we remain disappointed that Congress did not heed the president's call to extend emergency unemployment benefits for next year before the holidays, the president as well as the Democratic congressional leadership have made clear the importance of extending the benefits immediately upon Congress's return," Sperling said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Mobile carriers failed to use tech fixes to thwart spying: expert Friday, Dec 27, 2013 01:32 PM PST  The world's mobile phone carriers have failed to implement technology fixes available since 2008 that would have thwarted the National Security Agency's ability to eavesdrop on many mobile phone calls, a cyber security expert says. Karsten Nohl, chief scientist with Berlin's Security Research Labs, told Reuters ahead of a highly anticipated talk at a conference in Germany that his firm discovered the issue while reviewing security measures implemented by mobile operators around the world. Nohl also told Reuters that the carriers had failed to fully address vulnerabilities that would allow hackers to clone and remotely gain control of certain SIM cards. I think it is individual laziness and priority on network speed and network coverage and not security." A spokeswoman for the GSM Association, which represents about 800 mobile operators worldwide, said she could not comment on Nohl's criticism before seeing his presentation on the topic at the Chaos Communications Congress in Hamburg, Europe's biggest annual conference on hacking, security and privacy issues. Full Story | Top |
| India seeks possible U.S. tax violations as stand hardens in row Friday, Dec 27, 2013 01:23 PM PST  By Sanjeev Miglani NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has sought details about staff in American schools in the country for possible tax violations and revoked ID cards of U.S. consular officials and their families, retaliatory steps for the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York. The measures suggest that the two countries are no closer to a resolution of a diplomatic dispute over the treatment of Deputy Consul General Devyani Khobragade this month on charges of visa fraud and underpayment of her housekeeper. Khobragade, who has denied the charges, was handcuffed and strip-searched while in custody, sparking outrage in India. An Indian government official said on Friday that New Delhi had asked the U.S. embassy to provide details about people working in American schools and other U.S. government facilities to determine if they had permission to do so and if they were paying taxes that are mandatory under Indian law. Full Story | Top |
| Pentagon sees 50 percent rise in reports of sexual assaults in 2013 Friday, Dec 27, 2013 01:13 PM PST The number of sexual assaults reported across the U.S. military rose by around 50 percent in the 2013 fiscal year compared with 2012, the Pentagon said on Friday. The Pentagon said a review of preliminary data from the government's 2013 fiscal year, which began in October 2012, showed there were slightly more than 5,000 reports of sexual assault. The data compares with a previously released estimate of a 46 percent increase in sexual assaults in the military during the first nine months of the year. The latest data related to sexual assaults in the military came a week after President Barack Obama ordered U.S. military leaders to review the problem. Full Story | Top |
| Beirut bomb kills Lebanese ex-minister who opposed Assad Friday, Dec 27, 2013 01:03 PM PST By Samia Nakhoul and Stephen Kalin BEIRUT (Reuters) - Former Lebanese minister Mohamad Chatah, who opposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was killed in a massive bomb blast on Friday which one of his political allies blamed on the Shi'ite Hezbollah militia. The attack in Beirut killed five other people and threw Lebanon, which has been drawn into neighboring Syria's conflict, into further turmoil after a series of sectarian bombings aimed at Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims over the past year. Former prime minister Saad al-Hariri accused Hezbollah of involvement in the killing of Chatah, his 62-year-old political adviser, saying it was "a new message of terrorism". "As far as we are concerned the suspects ... are those who are fleeing international justice and refusing to represent themselves before the international tribunal," Hariri said , referring to the upcoming trial in The Hague of five Hezbollah members suspected of killing his father Rafik in 2005. Full Story | Top |
| Hollande wants bigger U.N. role in Central African Republic Friday, Dec 27, 2013 12:53 PM PST  French President Francois Hollande has asked the United Nations to play a bigger role in the Central African Republic, Hollande's office said in a statement on Friday. France deployed a 1,600 strong peacekeeping mission in its former colony this month to stop massacres between Muslim and Christian militias, but the U.N.-backed intervention is struggling to restore security in the country. "(The president) has asked the United Nations to play a more important role during the transition in Central African Republic," Hollande's office said of his phone call with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Full Story | Top |
| Escort service sued for using Hooters name in recruiting Friday, Dec 27, 2013 12:48 PM PST By Gabe Friedman (Reuters) - Hooters of America, the restaurant chain known for its skimpily clad waitresses, is suing a Florida escort service it says tarnished Hooters' trademarks as it sought to hire away its employees. The lawsuit, filed on Thursday in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, says that Nikki's Escort Service and its proprietor Nikki Swafford posted ads on the Tampa site of Craigslist.com stating: "Now Hiring Hooters Girls $100 Per Hour." The ads were accompanied by a photo of women wearing the chain's official uniform. ... Full Story | Top |
| Israel plans 1,400 more West Bank settlement homes, official says Friday, Dec 27, 2013 12:21 PM PST  Israel plans to build 1,400 homes in its settlements in the occupied West Bank and will announce the projects next week after releasing a group of Palestinian prisoners, an Israeli official said on Friday. The Palestinians have said any further expansion of Israeli settlements on land they seek for a state could derail U.S.-brokered peace talks that resumed in July after a three-year break and are set to last until April. The United States said Israel had informed it of plans to release the group of prisoners on December 30, a day later than expected. The release of about two dozen Palestinians, the third group to be freed since the peace talks resumed, is seen by the United States as a vital confidence-building measure. Full Story | Top |
| India's Modi says shaken to core by Gujarat's religious riots Friday, Dec 27, 2013 12:15 PM PST  By Sanjeev Miglani NEW DELHI (Reuters) - - Indian prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said on Friday he had been deeply pained by religious violence during his time as chief minister of Gujarat state, seeking closure on a deeply divisive issue that has dogged him for more than a decade. Modi's remarks on his blog were the furthest the powerful Hindi nationalist has gone to commiserate with the victims of the 2002 religious bloodshed, one of India's worst since the 1947 partition of the subcontinent. "As if all the suffering was not enough, I was also accused of the death and misery of my own loved ones, my Gujarati brothers and sisters." At least 1,000 people died in a wave of reprisal attacks across Gujarat after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims was set on fire in February 2002. Modi leads the race for the national election due by next May, campaigning on a platform to revive India's economy growing at its slowest in a decade, end red tap and corruption that have bedevilled the ruling Congress-led coalition. Full Story | Top |
| Turkish protesters clash with police as supporters cheer Erdogan Friday, Dec 27, 2013 11:56 AM PST  By Orhan Coskun and Ece Toksabay ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Protesters demanding Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan resign over a high-level corruption scandal clashed with riot police in Istanbul on Friday, while across the city thousands staged a rival show of support for the embattled leader. Erdogan faces a crisis unprecedented during his 11 years in office due to the scandal that has forced three ministers' resignations and a cabinet reshuffle, as well as destabilizing the Turkish economy whose rapid growth has been a showpiece of his rule. However, Erdogan still enjoys the loyalty of many pious Muslims and members of Turkey's wealthy elite. Police detained dozens of people on December 17, among them the sons of the interior minister and two other cabinet members, after a major graft inquiry that was kept secret from commanders who might have informed the government in advance. Full Story | Top |
| South Sudan to free most politicians detained over alleged coup - U.S. envoy Friday, Dec 27, 2013 11:54 AM PST South Sudan will release most of a group of politicians accused by the government of links to a foiled coup plot against President Salva Kiir, the United States envoy to South Sudan and a senior government official said on Friday. "We were very encouraged to hear the president reiterate that with the exception of three of the senior Sudan People's Liberation Movement (party) officials who have been detained...the others will be released very shortly," U.S. Envoy Donald Booth told South Sudan state television. The release of the 11 prominent politicians arrested by the government after violence erupted on December 15 is a key rebel condition for peace talks. Full Story | Top |
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