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| Apple's iPhone sales, revenue forecast fall short; shares slide Monday, Jan 27, 2014 05:26 PM PST  Lower-than-expected holiday iPhone sales and a weak revenue forecast by Apple Inc renewed fears about Chinese demand and a tepid global market, wiping 8 percent off company stock. This year was to have been Apple Inc's watershed moment in China, when a long-awaited deal with the nation's largest carrier was to have propelled it back toward the top ranks of its most crucial market, clawing back ground from rival Samsung Electronics. Instead, the forecast for the March quarter - when Apple is expected to have reaped the fruits of that long-awaited deal - raises questions of whether investors had over-estimated that arrangement, and broader concerns about flagging demand for smartphones and tablets in general. "There's no doubt that shipments (to China Mobile) are lower than almost anybody expected," said Pacific Crest Securities' Andy Hargreaves. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine's Yanukovich, opposition agree to scrap some anti-protest laws Monday, Jan 27, 2014 06:41 PM PST  By Richard Balmforth and Natalia Zinets KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich agreed in talks with opposition leaders to the repeal of some anti-protest laws and to discuss the fate of the current government at a crunch session of parliament on Tuesday, called to end two months of unrest against his rule. But former Economy Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk, now a leader of the opposition, refused his offer of the prime minister's job, setting the scene for a tough political battle in parliament over opposition demands for concessions, including an amnesty for detained protesters. There was no mention of any declaration of a state of emergency - something that Yanukovich's Cabinet ministers threatened to call for on Monday to re-establish control over the security situation in the country, where protesters are seizing public buildings. Talk of a state of emergency being declared in the former Soviet republic of 46 million made the European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, hastily move up a visit to Kiev on Tuesday. Full Story | Top |
| Thai protesters surround cabinet meeting venue Monday, Jan 27, 2014 09:21 PM PST  Around 500 anti-government protesters on Tuesday gathered outside the Army Club compound in the Thai capital, where Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra held a weekly cabinet meeting, as the two sides traded threats in a lengthy political crisis. The government has issued an ultimatum to protest leaders that they face arrest by Thursday if they do not give up areas they have taken over in Bangkok as protests drag into their third month. "The people want to talk to the prime minister because she says she is the people's prime minister ... but we want the premier to listen to us ... to our side of the story," a protest leader, Puttipong Punnakun, said. Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has said his supporters would shut down the government body overseeing the emergency decree within 24 hours. Full Story | Top |
| Japan revises teaching manuals, says islands its territory Monday, Jan 27, 2014 10:37 PM 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. Japan's ties with Seoul and Beijing 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 |
| Syria peace talks hit more trouble as rebel city 'starves' Monday, Jan 27, 2014 02:08 PM PST By Stephanie Nebehay and Mariam Karouny GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States on Monday demanded that Syria allow aid into the "starving" city of Homs, as talks aimed at ending three years of civil war hit more trouble over the future of President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian government said women and children could leave the besieged city and that rebels should hand over the names of the men who would remain. "We firmly believe that the Syrian regime must approve the convoys to deliver badly needed humanitarian assistance into the Old City of Homs now," said spokesman Edgar Vasquez. "The situation is desperate and the people are starving." He said the people of Homs must not be forced to leave their homes and split up their families before receiving aid. Full Story | Top |
| Road access to Alaskan port of Valdez cut off by avalanches Monday, Jan 27, 2014 08:27 PM PST  By Steve Quinn JUNEAU, Alaska (Reuters) - Road traffic to Valdez, Alaska, was cut off from the rest of the state after a series of avalanches over the weekend blocked the only road into the coastal community, officials said on Monday. The highway to the town of about 4,000 was blocked after an avalanche in the Keystone Canyon on Friday, followed by another on Saturday, Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Utilities spokesman Jeremy Woodrow said. "There is limited space for everything, but once water recedes, we'll be working on both ends, north and south." Valdez, one of Alaska's main seaports, lies in a remote area of the Chugach Mountains. Full Story | Top |
| Analysis: Florida Democrats may get buzz from medical marijuana Monday, Jan 27, 2014 04:34 PM PST  By David Adams and Zachary Fagenson MIAMI (Reuters) - A November ballot measure to legalize marijuana for medicinal use in Florida could have a decidedly political side effect. The ballot proposal, which was approved by Florida's Supreme Court on Monday, is so popular it could help Democrats unseat the state's Republican Governor, Rick Scott, who is up for re-election in November. Democrats believe it could energize their base in a midterm electoral season that generally results in low turn out, while polls show even a majority of Florida Republicans support medical marijuana use. Scott opposes the ballot initiative and is trailing in polls to his main challenger, former governor Charlie Crist, who favors legalization. Full Story | Top |
| Mexico says catches senior Knights Templar drug gang boss Monday, Jan 27, 2014 06:28 PM PST  By Lizbeth Diaz MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico said on Monday it had captured a leader of the Knights Templar, a violent drug cartel that has created a major security problem for President Enrique Pena Nieto. The attorney general's office said security forces arrested Dionisio Loya Plancarte, known as "El Tio" ('The Uncle'), a top member of the Knights Templar, which has clashed with vigilante groups in the western state of Michoacan this year. The Knights emerged from a split in another cartel in Michoacan known as La Familia and have controlled large swaths of the restive mountainous state in recent years, extorting farmers and local businesses and diversifying away from drug trafficking to activities such as mining. Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's generals give Sisi green light to run for president Monday, Jan 27, 2014 03:42 PM PST  By Yasmine Saleh CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's top military council gave the army chief, Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a green light on Monday to seek election as president, a vote he is almost sure to win with Egyptians weary of turmoil unleashed by a pro-democracy uprising in 2011. Sisi deposed elected Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July after mass unrest over his increasingly arbitrary and erratic rule, kindling political chaos and security crackdowns on dissent in the Arab world's most populous nation. He has since taken on almost cult-like popularity in Egypt, with many seeing him as a decisive figure able to stabilize a country that has lurched from one economically ruinous crisis to another since the 2011 overthrow of autocrat Hosni Mubarak. "(The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces) is looking forward with respect and reverence to the desire of the huge masses of the great Egyptian people in the nomination of ... Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for the presidency of the republic, which it considers a mandate and an obligation," the military high command said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| U.N. Security Council urges end to ransom payments to extremists Monday, Jan 27, 2014 02:21 PM PST  By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council urged countries on Monday to stop the payment of kidnap ransoms to extremist groups like al Qaeda, which have earned hundreds of millions of dollars from such crimes. "We estimate that in the last three and a half years, al Qaeda-affiliated and other Islamist extremist groups have collected at least $105 million," British U.N. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant told reporters. "We need to break that cycle." The United States has estimated militant groups have received $120 million over the past decade, including ransoms paid to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The United States and Britain do not pay ransoms, but some European governments do. Full Story | Top |
| Sudan's president urges armed groups, parties to talk Monday, Jan 27, 2014 12:55 PM PST  Sudan's president called on armed groups and all political parties on Monday to meet and discuss ways of improving the country, but stopped short of promising a constitutional overhaul that was forecast by a senior member of his party. President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has had to wrestle with a sharp drop in oil revenues, the main source of government income, and rising inflation after losing the bulk of his active oilfields following the secession of South Sudan in 2012. Rabie Abdelati, a senior member of Bashir's ruling National Congress Party earlier said Bashir would use a live television address on Monday to call for opposition groups to help redraw the constitution and join the government. Full Story | Top |
| Joint N.J. legislative committee probing Christie's 'Bridgegate' Monday, Jan 27, 2014 12:44 PM PST  By Noreen O'Donnell (Reuters) - New Jersey state legislators voted on Monday to merge parallel investigations into the George Washington Bridge traffic scandal ensnaring Republican Governor Chris Christie. The newly-formed joint committee will have the power to subpoena witnesses and correspondence and to order testimony under oath as part of its investigation into allegations that a gubernatorial aide engineered the traffic jam to punish the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey, which abuts the bridge. "Throughout the earlier stages of this investigation, it became clear that for every answer we uncovered, many more questions arose," Democratic Assemblyman John Wisniewski, a leader of the probe as the head of the Assembly Transportation Committee, said in a statement. "Forming this joint committee is the best way to streamline and expedite our inquiry in order to obtain the answers we need to prevent future abuses of power," Wisniewski said. Full Story | Top |
| Caterpillar tops estimate, sees gains in 2014; stock up Monday, Jan 27, 2014 07:44 AM PST  Caterpillar Inc posted a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday as cost cuts and an uptick in demand for its building equipment offset continued weak sales to the mining industry. The results, together with a better-than-estimated preliminary profit forecast for 2014 and a new $10 billion share repurchase plan, sent Caterpillar's stock up as much as 7 percent in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange. "We expected there would be a decline in mining sales in 2013, and it turned out to be worse than we anticipated," Doug Oberhelman, the chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement. "As a result, we took substantial actions to reduce costs which helped mitigate the impact on profit." Caterpillar, which cut nearly 10,000 jobs globally last year, said it was beginning to see "some signs of improvement in the world economy, which should be positive for sales" down the road. Full Story | Top |
| Hague border verdict set to strengthen Chile, Peru ties Monday, Jan 27, 2014 11:43 AM PST  By Thomas Escritt and Rosalba O'Brien THE HAGUE/SANTIAGO (Reuters) - The maritime border between Chile and Peru was reset by an international court on Monday, in a compromise decision that politicians hope will end one of Latin America's last remaining border disputes. The Hague-based International Court of Justice awarded more than half of a disputed 38,000-square-kilometer patch of ocean to Peru, but Chile retained the bulk of the valuable coastal fishing grounds within that area. The maritime border between the neighboring countries will be set by a straight line extending 80 nautical miles west from the point where their land borders meet and then heading southwest. Full Story | Top |
| Mexico says catches senior Knights Templar drug gang boss Monday, Jan 27, 2014 02:55 PM PST  By Lizbeth Diaz MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico said on Monday it had captured a leader of the Knights Templar, a violent drug cartel that has created a major security problem for President Enrique Pena Nieto. The attorney general's office said security forces arrested Dionisio Loya Plancarte, known as "El Tio" ('The Uncle'), a top member of the Knights Templar, which has clashed with vigilante groups in the western state of Michoacan this year. The Knights emerged from a split in another cartel in Michoacan known as La Familia and have controlled large swaths of the restive mountainous state in recent years, extorting farmers and local businesses and diversifying away from drug trafficking to activities such as mining. Full Story | Top |
| Apple's iPhone sales and outlook lag targets, shares slide Monday, Jan 27, 2014 03:48 PM PST  Apple Inc missed Wall Street's lofty target for iPhone sales over the crucial holiday shopping season and offered a weaker-than-expected forecast for this quarter, sending its shares down 8 percent on Monday. The world's most valuable technology company sold a record 51 million iPhones in the quarter, but that was shy of the 55 million or so analysts had expected, reflecting intense competition from arch-foe Samsung Electronics during the crucial period. The company forecast sales of $42 billion to $44 billion this quarter, which investors anticipate will be brisker than usual because of its recently sealed deal to sell iPhones through China Mobile Ltd, the country's No. 1 carrier. Wall Street was expecting $46 billion, on average. Full Story | Top |
| Expat Scots demand a vote in independence referendum Monday, Jan 27, 2014 11:41 AM PST  By Belinda Goldsmith LONDON (Reuters) - A million Scots living outside of Scotland should be allowed to vote in a referendum this year on whether their country becomes an independent nation, one of them said on Monday as he sought backing for a legal challenge. James Wallace, a Scottish-born trainee lawyer who lives in England, is among the 1.15 million Scots who are excluded from the vote as they are not resident there. Anyone over the age of 16 living in Scotland - about 80 percent of the 5.2 million population - has the right to vote on September 18 either for independence or to remain part of the United Kingdom alongside England, Wales and Northern Ireland. "It's ridiculous, quite frankly, that Scottish soldiers based in England, 10 out of 11 Scottish Olympians and international rugby players who played for Scotland all their careers, cannot vote," Wallace, 26, told Reuters. Full Story | Top |
| France's Hollande cautiously backs Turkey EU membership bid Monday, Jan 27, 2014 10:37 AM PST  By Elizabeth Pineau ANKARA (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande cautiously backed Turkey's aim to join the European Union on Monday despite its recent crackdown on police and judiciary and earlier French reservations about the idea. In a long-planned state visit, the first by a French leader in 22 years, Hollande is seeking to mend frayed ties and smooth the way for French companies angling for contracts in Turkey. But the visit has been overshadowed by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's efforts to tighten controls on the court system in response to a corruption probe. Hollande said Turkey should continue to negotiate in view of joining the EU despite the criticism as such talks would allow it to address issues such as rule of law, judicial independence, separation of powers and respect of fundamental liberties. Full Story | Top |
| Ukraine's Yanukovich meets opposition ahead of crunch parliament session Monday, Jan 27, 2014 01:56 PM PST  By Richard Balmforth KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's Viktor Yanukovich held fresh talks with opposition leaders on Monday to prepare for a crunch session of parliament at which the president and his allies will be under pressure to make major concessions amid mass unrest. A tough battle lay ahead at Tuesday's session with the opposition calling for concessions including the repeal of sweeping anti-protest laws, the dismissal of the government and an amnesty for all protesters detained in two months of unrest. Ukraine's justice minister raised tensions by warning she would press for a state of emergency if protesters did not vacate a ministry building they had occupied overnight. As the opposition leaders - boxer-turned-politician Vitaly Klitschko, former economy minister Arseny Yatsenyuk and nationalist Oleh Tyahnibok - met Yanukovich, the President's party set the scene for a rowdy session of parliament, saying they did not intend to yield any ground. Full Story | Top |
| Brutal cold shuts schools, delays travel in Midwest Monday, Jan 27, 2014 01:21 PM PST  By Mary Wisniewski CHICAGO (Reuters) - Bitter cold and high winds surging down from the Arctic pushed wind chills to dangerous lows across the U.S. upper Midwest on Monday, forcing officials to close schools and warn drivers off roads, and slowing public transit and river traffic. Chicago, Minneapolis, Milwaukee and other parts of the upper Midwest are forecast to have two consecutive days of subzero highs on Monday and Tuesday, while most of the Northeast will see highs in the single digits and teens on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Accuweather.com. National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Krein blamed the weather on a surge of arctic high pressure out of Canada that has spread over the upper Midwest and central plains. "I'm real sick of it," said Romik Stewart, 20, who was waiting for a bus in Milwaukee to go to his job at a fast food restaurant. Full Story | Top |
| New home sales fall, but private sector expands Monday, Jan 27, 2014 10:13 AM PST  By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sales of new U.S. single-family homes fell more than expected in December, but lean inventories and steady price gains suggested the housing market recovery remained intact. The drop in new home sales is not a sign the economy at large is starting to slow in a worrisome manner," said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ in New York. Full Story | Top |
| Tunisia signs new constitution in big step toward democracy Monday, Jan 27, 2014 06:33 AM PST  President Moncef Marzouki and the head of the National Assembly signed Tunisia's new constitution on Monday, enshrining one of its last steps toward full democracy after a 2011 uprising that inspired the Arab Spring. After years of autocratic rule under Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia's charter has been praised as one of the most progressive in the Arab world, designating Islam as the state religion but protecting freedom of belief and sexual equality. Parliament erupted in celebration after the official signing of the constitution following its approval by assembly deputies on Sunday evening, which ended months of deadlock that had threatened to undo Tunisia's transition. "This is an exceptional day for Tunisia, where we celebrate the victory over dictatorship. Full Story | Top |
| AT&T rules out Vodafone bid for now Monday, Jan 27, 2014 12:05 PM PST  By Kate Holton and Sophie Sassard LONDON (Reuters) - AT&T on Monday ruled out a bid for Britain's Vodafone after Britain's takeover watchdog asked the U.S. phone company to clarify its position following reports that it had sounded out European regulators on the prospects of a merger. AT&T's statement means it cannot make an offer for Vodafone for at least six months, unless the British company invites it to do so or a third party enters the fray. Banking sources said that while an uproar over the U.S. National Security Agency's electronic surveillance program and a year-long rally in European telecom shares may have disrupted prospects for a deal any time soon, many think it could still happen. AT&T, the second-largest U.S. mobile operator, had sparked speculation it could be interested in a potentially 70 billion pound-plus ($115 billion) deal for Vodafone after its CEO said in October there was a "huge opportunity" in Europe to invest in mobile broadband. Full Story | Top |
| Thai election body urges vote delay, army stays neutral Monday, Jan 27, 2014 03:37 AM PST By Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's Election Commission urged a delay in next week's planned national vote, warning on Monday of more bloodshed after violent clashes at the weekend. "As election officials, it is our job to make sure elections are successful, but we also need to make sure the country is peaceful enough to hold the election," Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, an Election Commission member, told Reuters. "We don't want it to be bloody." The commission will meet embattled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Tuesday to discuss the vote date. With protests aimed at toppling Yingluck now in their third month, there has been repeated speculation that the armed forces might try a repeat of the 18 actual and attempted coups they have mounted in 80 years of on-off democracy in Southeast Asia's second biggest economy. Full Story | Top |
| Liberty Global buys Ziggo to expand European cable empire Monday, Jan 27, 2014 08:37 AM PST  By Anthony Deutsch and Philip Blenkinsop UTRECHT, Netherlands/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. cable group Liberty Global has won its 10-month pursuit of Ziggo with a deal that values the Dutch operator and its debt at 10 billion euros ($13.7 billion) and expands billionaire John Malone's vast European cable empire. Ziggo rejected an initial offer from Liberty last October as too low, seven months after the U.S. group controlled by Malone first bought shares in its Dutch target. On Monday, Ziggo accepted a cash-and-shares offer at 34.5 euros per share, a 22 percent premium to Ziggo's share price just before Liberty's initial bid. The company, which gets over 90 percent of its revenue in Europe, has built its position via acquisitions from Ireland to Romania over the past decade and already owns 28.5 percent of Ziggo as well as the whole of Dutch peer UPC. Full Story | Top |
| Florida congressman Radel resigns after cocaine charge Monday, Jan 27, 2014 08:22 AM PST By Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Representative Trey Radel, who was charged in November with buying cocaine, resigned from Congress on Monday, saying he could no longer effectively serve the people he represents in southern Florida. Radel, 37, elected to the House of Representatives in 2012 backed by the conservative Tea Party movement, returned to Congress in January, six weeks after he pleaded guilty to cocaine possession and checked into a rehabilitation clinic. While I have dealt with those issues on a personal level, it is my belief that professionally I cannot fully and effectively serve as a United States Representative to the place I love and call home, Southwest Florida," he wrote in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner on Monday. Radel was charged with buying 3.5 grams of cocaine in Washington on October 29, in the presence of an undercover agent. Full Story | Top |
| Cuba to host Latin American summit; U.S. notably absent Monday, Jan 27, 2014 03:03 AM PST  By Daniel Trotta HAVANA (Reuters) - Latin American and Caribbean leaders converge on Cuba this week to discuss trade, peace and human rights in a further sign of regional eagerness to challenge the dominance of the United States. The two-day summit is expected to take up issues such as Colombian peace talks, lingering poverty in Haiti and human rights. Thirty-three countries from the region will participate, notably without the United States and Canada, which are not invited. ... Full Story | Top |
| Google to buy artificial intelligence company DeepMind Monday, Jan 27, 2014 01:39 AM PST  (Reuters) - Google Inc said on Sunday it had agreed to acquire privately held artificial intelligence company DeepMind Technologies Ltd. Technology news website Re/code, which reported news of the deal earlier, said the price was $400 million, without disclosing where it got the information. A Google spokesman declined to comment on the price. Founded in London in 2012 by Demis Hassabis, Shane Legg and Mustafa Suleyman, DeepMind uses general-purpose learning algorithms for applications such as simulations, e-commerce and games, according to its website. Google, which is working on projects including self-driving cars and robots, has become increasingly focused on artificial intelligence in recent years. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Mitsubishi Heavy in talks to become F-35 supplier, seeks Japan subsidy: sources Monday, Jan 27, 2014 01:02 AM PST  By Tim Kelly and Nobuhiro Kubo TOKYO (Reuters) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is in advanced talks to supply parts for the F-35 stealth fighter to Britain's BAE Systems, in what would be the first involvement of a Japanese manufacturer in a global weapons program, according to people with knowledge of the discussions. Any agreement on such a groundbreaking deal hinges in part on whether Tokyo will subsidize the manufacture of components for the rear fuselage of the fighter that Mitsubishi Heavy is seeking to supply as a subcontractor, the three sources said. Mitsubishi Heavy, which made the famous Zero fighter in World War Two, has already won a contract worth more than $620 million for final assembly for the 42 F-35 jets now on order by Japan's military. A deal to become a second-tier supplier for the Lockheed Martin F-35 would deepen Mitsubishi Heavy's ties to a project to deliver a fighter jet that the United States and allies plan to use for decades. Full Story | Top |
| Cambodian police break up rally pressing for TV station Monday, Jan 27, 2014 12:59 AM PST  By Prak Chan Thul PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodian military police used smoke grenades and batons on Monday to quell a protest by demonstrators demanding that a new television channel be allowed to broadcast, wounding at least eight people, witnesses said. The demonstration was in breach of a ban on public gatherings imposed by the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is enduring one of the biggest challenges to his 28-year rule and mounting criticism of bloody crackdowns on dissent. Military police and guards working for Phnom Penh city authorities chased down opposition-aligned protesters near the Information Ministry, with police wielding batons and electric prods. The violence was the latest episode in a months-long political crisis in Cambodia, which was for years racked by conflict but which recently saw more than a decade of unprecedented growth and stability. Full Story | Top |
| Maryland mall reopens after fatal weekend shooting Monday, Jan 27, 2014 02:11 PM PST By Alice Popovici COLUMBIA, Maryland (Reuters) - A Maryland mall where a 19-year-old gunman killed two store employees before apparently taking his own life reopened on Monday to mourners bearing flowers and questions about why the shooting happened. The popular retail complex about 20 miles west of Baltimore had been closed since Darion Marcus Aguilar fired six to eight shots from a 12-gauge shotgun on Saturday as the mall bustled with weekend shoppers. Howard County Executive Ken Ulman told a few hundred people, many of them first responders, outside the mall before it reopened that the community had shown its resiliency and strength. "In these tough times I've seen some things that I am incredibly proud of," Ulman said while flanked by U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings, a Democrat. Full Story | Top |
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