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| Obama warns divided Congress that he will act alone Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 09:49 PM PST  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama vowed on Tuesday to bypass a divided Congress and take action on his own to bolster America's middle class in a State of the Union address that he used to try to breathe new life into his second term after a troubled year. Standing in the House of Representatives chamber before lawmakers, Supreme Court justices and VIP guests, Obama declared his independence from Congress by unveiling a series of executive orders and decisions - moves likely to inflame already tense relations between the Democratic president and Republicans. While his rhetoric was high flying, Obama's actions were relatively modest, collectively amounting to an outpouring of frustration at the pace of legislative action with Republicans in control of the House of Representatives and able to slow the president's agenda. "I'm eager to work with all of you," Obama told the lawmakers gathered for the annual speech. Full Story | Top |
| Republicans respond and respond to Obama State of Union Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 08:46 PM PST  By Richard Cowan and Thomas Ferraro WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. Congress responded in competing voices on Tuesday to President Barack Obama's annual State of the Union address as various wings of the party vied to advance their prescriptions for the country's best way forward. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who delivered the sanctioned Republican response to Obama, queued up long-standing party doctrine that "champions free markets and trusts people to make their own decisions, not a government that decides for you." McMorris Rodgers, a five-term congresswoman from Washington state, took a broad swipe at Obamacare, the 2010 landmark healthcare law that Republicans have tried to repeal, delay or significantly alter nearly 50 times since its enactment. "We've all talked to too many people who have received cancellation notices they didn't expect or who can no longer see the doctors they always have," McMorris Rodgers said of the Affordable Care Act, which got off to a troubled start. Full Story | Top |
| Thailand to deploy 10,000 police in capital to secure voting Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 10:51 PM PST  By Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's government will deploy 10,000 police in the capital for Sunday's election, which protesters have promised to disrupt as part of their drawn-out attempt to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. "I ask Bangkok residents to come out and vote," Labour Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung told reporters on Wednesday. "The police will take care of security ... Those who are thinking of going and shutting polling stations in the morning should think twice because the police will not allow them to." Protesters prevented early voting at many polling stations in Bangkok last Sunday. They took to the streets in November in the latest eruption of a political conflict that has gripped Thailand for eight years. Full Story | Top |
| Fed poised for $10 billion taper as Bernanke bids adieu Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 10:02 PM PST  Turmoil in emerging markets and a month of disappointing job growth at home are unlikely to deter the Federal Reserve from trimming its bond-buying stimulus on Wednesday, as Ben Bernanke wraps up his last policy meeting at the helm of the U.S. central bank. Overall signs of improvement in the U.S. economy suggest Fed officials will stay on track to cut monthly purchases of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities by $5 billion each, bringing the total of their monthly asset purchases to $65 billion. The meeting is Bernanke's last before Vice Chair Janet Yellen moves into the top spot. Bernanke took the Fed far into uncharted territory during his eight years on the job, building a $4 trillion balance sheet and keeping interest rates near zero for more than five years to pull the economy from its worst downturn in decades. Full Story | Top |
| South Korea urges North to hasten reunions but vows to continue drills Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 09:25 PM PST  South Korea urged the North on Wednesday to speed efforts for reunions of families separated since the war that divided the neighbors, but vowed to continue joint military drills with the United States, despite protests from Pyongyang. Uncertainty remained whether the North would keep its pledge to hold the reunions ahead of the start of the drills, but the South said it would not use the military exercises as a means to secure the family event. The North proposed the family reunions last week in a move welcomed by both China, its sole major ally, and the United States. But the North has yet to respond to a call by the South for the event to be held over six days in February and for a meeting to hammer out location and logistics. Full Story | Top |
| Gunmen kill Egyptian general; ousted Mursi defiant at trial Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 12:31 PM PST  By Shadia Nasralla and Sameh Bardissi CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamist militant gunmen on a motorcycle killed a top Interior Ministry official in Cairo on Tuesday in the latest blow to a military-backed Egyptian government struggling to curb violence and suppress dissent. General Mohamed Saeed, head of the ministry's technical office, was shot in his car outside his home in daytime. A Sinai-based militant group inspired by al Qaeda, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, said it carried out the attack against the "apostate, criminal" Saeed. The shooting occurred hours before deposed President Mohamed Mursi appeared in court on charges of kidnapping and killing policemen after a jailbreak during the 2011 uprising that ended President Hosni Mubarak's three decades of autocracy. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. rests its case in insider trading trial of SAC's Martoma Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 05:10 PM PST  By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - Steven A. Cohen tried to sell stock as quietly as possible as SAC Capital Advisors unwound positions at the center of an insider trading trial, the hedge fund's head trader said on Thursday. The testimony came as the government called its final witnesses in the trial of former portfolio manager Mathew Martoma, putting the case within days of its conclusion. Martoma, 39, is accused of using inside information about a drug trial to trade in the stock of Elan Corp Plc and Wyeth that helped SAC Capital make profits and avoid losses of $276 million. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. envoy urges action on Yemen, Security Council to draft resolution Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 08:01 PM PST  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations' envoy on Yemen urged the Security Council on Tuesday to "do its part" in helping stop those attempting to obstruct the Yemeni transition, which diplomats said was a call for possible sanctions against former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Jordan's U.N. ambassador and president of the Security Council this month, Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein, told reporters that the council would start "drafting a resolution in the coming days which will support the wishes and aspirations of the government and people of Yemen." "Council members also expressed their readiness to look into taking measures against any side that attempts to place obstacles to subvert," stability in Yemen, Prince Zeid told reporters. Full Story | Top |
| China challenging U.S. military technological edge: Pentagon official Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 03:25 PM PST  By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military's technological superiority is increasingly challenged by China, and efforts to maintain an edge are complicated by shrinking defense budgets that have cut money for development, the Pentagon's top weapons buyer said on Tuesday. Frank Kendall, the deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition and technology, told lawmakers the U.S. military's technological superiority is being "challenged in ways that I have not seen for decades, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region," where China is pursuing a rapid modernization program. "Technological superiority is not assured," Kendall told the Armed Services Committee in the House of Representatives. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine PM resigns amid unrest, parliament revokes anti-protest laws Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 11:18 AM PST By Richard Balmforth and Pavel Polityuk KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigned on Tuesday while deputies loyal to President Viktor Yanukovich, acting to calm violent street protests, back-tracked and overturned anti-protest laws they rammed through parliament 12 days ago. The first real concessions by Yanukovich since the crisis erupted two months ago brought cheers from several thousand demonstrators on Kiev's Independence Square, focal point of the protests. Opposition leaders said they would continue to harness street power to wring more gains. "We have to change not only the government, but the rules of the game as well," declared boxer-turned-politician Vitaly Klitschko. Full Story | Top |
| British spy chief buffeted by Snowden leaks will step down at year end Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 03:01 PM PST  By Andrew Osborn LONDON (Reuters) - The British spy chief whose agency was accused in documents leaked by former U.S. intelligence operative Edward Snowden of playing a principal role in mass Anglo-U.S. surveillance will step down at year end, Britain's Foreign Office said on Tuesday. The leaks detailed the close cooperation of Britain's GCHQ eavesdropping agency with the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), and embarrassed and angered the British government and its spy chiefs. Iain Lobban, 53, has served as GCHQ's director for six years. "Iain Lobban is doing an outstanding job as Director GCHQ," said a spokeswoman. Full Story | Top |
| Aid convoy stalled as Syrian government demands assurances Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 12:08 PM PST By Stephanie Nebehay and Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - The fate of a U.N. aid convoy for thousands of Syrians besieged in the city of Homs hung in the balance on Tuesday as the Syrian government demanded assurances the supplies would not end up in the hands of "terrorists". Damascus describes all armed opponents of President Bashar al-Assad's government as terrorists. Efforts to get food and medical aid into Homs have become a test case on whether peace talks in Switzerland can produce any practical results almost three years into the Syrian conflict. The United Nations said it was ready to deliver relief supplies to about 2,500 people trapped inside rebel-held parts of Homs, devastated by months of shelling and fighting. Full Story | Top |
| Apple shares fall after muted iPhone sales Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 10:46 AM PST  Apple Inc needs a cheaper iPhone to keep pace with low-cost rivals, analysts said, after the company's smartphone sales fell short of lofty expectations in the holiday shopping season. Apple's shares fell as much as 8.8 percent on Tuesday, their steepest decline in a year, a day after the company's weak revenue forecast for the current quarter renewed fears about Chinese smartphone demand and a tepid global market. Activist investor Carl Icahn, who is waging a public campaign to get Apple to return more cash to shareholders, bought up $500 million worth of Apple stock - his third purchase of the same size in less than a week - to boost his total investment in the iPhone maker to more than $4 billion. At least 14 brokerages lowered their price targets on Apple, reflecting concerns that it was becoming harder to sell high-end phones as markets get saturated. Full Story | Top |
| EU justice chief attacks European "hypocrisy" on spying Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 10:46 AM PST  By John O'Donnell BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Some EU countries that have criticized U.S. cyber surveillance are "hypocritical" as they themselves are failing to protect citizens' private information, the European Union's top justice official said on Tuesday. Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding - a critic of the data gathering exposed by former U.S. spy contractor Edward Snowden - said she was seeking more legal assurances from Washington but urged European countries to improve their own behavior. "There's been a lot of hypocrisy in the debate," Reding told an audience in Brussels, calling on EU governments to back her proposals to tighten the bloc's own data protection rules, and expressing frustration at prolonged wrangling on the issue. "If the EU wants to be credible in its efforts to rebuild trust, if it wants to act as an example for other continents, it also has to get its own house in order." EU countries are negotiating a new data protection law which would oblige companies like Google or Facebook to seek consent before using personal information, and would impose stiff fines if they break the rules. Full Story | Top |
| Russian consul general, wife stabbed in Sudan: police Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 12:20 PM PST A Russian diplomat and his wife were stabbed in Sudan's capital on Tuesday by a man enraged by the death of his brother in strife-torn Central African Republic, Khartoum police said. Central African Republic, which borders Sudan, descended into chaos in March after a mostly Muslim rebel coalition, Seleka, marched into the capital, unleashing a wave of killings and looting. The European Union has also promised to send in soldiers, but Russia has no troops on the ground. The duty officer at Russia's embassy in Khartoum said he could not comment and the Russian Foreign Ministry could not immediately be reached for comment. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. Republican leaders to outline immigration framework: Boehner Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 09:51 AM PST  U.S. House Republican leaders will outline their principles for immigration reform at a party meeting this week, House Speaker John Boehner said on Tuesday. Immigration reform advocates, who saw their hopes dashed in 2013 for major legislation, have been waiting for the House Republican leadership to take such a step. Boehner did not give any details of the principles, nor did he promise specific legislative action in the near term. "We're going to outline our standards, principles of immigration reform and have a conversation with members," Boehner told a news conference after a party meeting near the U.S. Capitol. Full Story | Top |
| South African opposition DA drafts in black leader for election Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 09:00 AM PST  By Wendell Roelf CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Anti-apartheid activist Mamphela Ramphele will run for president for the Democratic Alliance (DA) in this year's South African election, giving the main opposition party a prominent black leader to challenge the ruling ANC. But the choice of Ramphele, which some political analysts believe was aimed at shaking off a perception of the DA as the guardian of white privilege, is unlikely to turn popular support against the African National Congress, which led a decades-long struggle against the apartheid system. Ramphele's year-old Agang political party has struggled to gain traction despite growing disaffection among voters with President Jacob Zuma's ANC, in power since the end of white-minority rule in 1994. "I can think of no better person to be our presidential candidate in this crucial election," DA leader Helen Zille told a news conference in Cape Town, before embracing her new political ally. Full Story | Top |
| Durable goods orders stumble, but consumers perk up Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 08:43 AM PST  Consumer confidence hit a five-month high in January and house prices posted their biggest year-on-year gain in almost eight years in November, other reports showed on Tuesday. Durable goods orders dropped 4.3 percent in December, weighed down by weak demand for transportation equipment, primary metals, fabricated metal products, computers and electronic products and capital goods. Economists polled by Reuters had expected orders for durable goods - items from toasters to aircraft meant to last three years or more - to rise 1.8 percent in December after November's previously reported 3.4 percent advance. Those concerns, however, were tempered by the rise in consumer confidence and house prices. Full Story | Top |
| Insight: At Syrian peace table, embittered enemies face off Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 05:50 AM PST  By Dominic Evans and Khaled Yacoub Oweis GENEVA (Reuters) - When Syria's political foes met across a negotiating table for the first time in nearly three years of conflict, the top priority was to keep them from walking out. Diplomats had talked up the importance of getting the two sides in the same room in Geneva, but at one point things were so bad that it looked like that room might be the departure lounge at the city's airport. "If this conference fails then the situation will explode regionally," said one diplomatic source, like others speaking on condition of anonymity because of the delicate negotiations. U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi began by focusing on a deal on humanitarian access to the besieged and starving city of Homs before steering the talks towards the highly contentious question of a political settlement of a war that has killed 130,000 and forced millions to flee their homes. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. nuclear inspectors in Iran to visit uranium mine Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 05:29 AM PST  DUBAI/VIENNA (Reuters) - U.N. nuclear inspectors arrived in Iran on Tuesday to visit a uranium mine, Iranian media reported, as part of a cooperation pact meant to help allay international concern about the country's nuclear program. Wednesday's planned inspection of the Gchine mine in southern Iran will be the first by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at this site since 2005. Allowing the U.N. nuclear agency - which is investigating allegations that Iran has carried out atomic bomb research - to go to Gchine was among six concrete steps Iran agreed to under the November 11 agreement with the IAEA. "The inspectors have arrived in Tehran to make a visit to Gchine mine," Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, was quoted as saying by Fars News Agency. Full Story | Top |
| Thailand to go ahead with election despite fear of clashes, political limbo Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 04:54 AM PST  By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Pracha Hariraksapitak BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's embattled government is pushing ahead with a general election on Sunday despite warnings it could end in violence and the country left without a functioning administration for six months. The decision to go ahead with the polls came at a meeting between Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Election Commission officials and cast further doubt over any quick resolution to months of protests aimed at ousting the government. The demonstrations are the latest eruption in a political conflict that has gripped Thailand for eight years, broadly pitting Bangkok's middle class and royalist establishment against the mainly poor, rural supporters of Yingluck and her brother, ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. In some constituencies, candidates have been unable to register and there might not be a quorum to open parliament and choose a government. Full Story | Top |
| EU meets Russia for 'clear the air' talks with Putin Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 02:19 AM PST  By Adrian Croft and Justyna Pawlak BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and the European Union's top two officials were set to hold "clear the air" talks in Brussels on Tuesday after months of growing tension over Ukraine and trade and energy disputes. Instead of the normal two-day summit, the EU decided to cut out dinner with Putin on Monday night, sending a message to the Russian leader that it is no longer "business as usual", with relations at their lowest point in years. The summit will now involve around three hours of face-to-face discussions between Putin, European Commission President of Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, over and after lunch. Ukraine is set to dominate the talks, after Moscow convinced Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich to turn his back on a trade and political association agreement with the EU last November and forge closer ties with Russia instead. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. anger over Afghan prisoner release deepens divide Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 02:18 AM PST WASHINGTON/KABUL (Reuters) - The United States warned the Afghan government on Monday against releasing prisoners that Washington says should be tried as dangerous militants, the latest dispute to inflame U.S.-Afghan relations. Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said the Afghan government had directed the Afghan Review Board, a government body, to release 37 detainees. The detainees are among 650 held at Bagram prison north of Kabul which Afghan authorities have marked for release on grounds of insufficient proof to prosecute them. Washington objects to freeing a total of 88 prisoners it regards as a threat to security. Full Story | Top |
| Japan revises teaching manuals, says islands its territory Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014 12:21 AM PST  By Elaine Lies TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan said on Tuesday it was revising teaching manuals to make clear that two sets of remote islands at the center of disputes with China and South Korea are integral parts of its territory, prompting protests from an angry Seoul and Beijing. Japan's ties with the two countries are increasingly strained over a host of issues, including the territorial rows and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit late last year to the Yasukuni Shrine, where convicted war criminals are honored along with millions of war dead. The conservative Abe has said he wants to revise Japanese history to have a less apologetic tone, a sensitive topic for Asian neighbors such as South Korea and China, where memories linger of Japanese aggression before and during World War Two. Education Minister Hakubun Shimomura said the ministry was revising the manuals to teach "properly" about Japanese history and that it would make diplomatic efforts to explain the move to Japan's neighbors. Full Story | Top |
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