Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Daily News Digest: Reuters News Headlines - Yahoo! News

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Wednesday, November 30, 2011 12:02 AM PST
Today's Reuters News Headlines - Yahoo! News:
American Airlines files for bankruptcy
Tue,29 Nov 2011 07:20 PM PST
Reuters -

photo(Reuters) - American Airlines filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday to cut labor costs in the face of high fuel prices and dampened travel demand, capping a prolonged descent for what was once the largest U.S. carrier. AMR Corp, the parent of American Airlines, also filed for bankruptcy and replaced its chief executive. The company, which employs about 88,000, has been mired for years in fruitless union negotiations, complaining that it shoulders higher labor costs than rival domestic and foreign carriers that have already restructured in bankruptcy. ...


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Fed's No. 2 sees room for further monetary easing
Tue,29 Nov 2011 06:05 PM PST
Reuters -

photoSAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Janet Yellen, the Federal Reserve's influential vice chair, said on Tuesday the U.S. central bank has room to ease monetary policy further, possibly by providing more information on the path of interest rates. Another top official, Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Dennis Lockhart, said he sees a benefit in providing more information on the policy assumptions underlying Fed forecasts. He made clear, however, that he believes the current policy stance is appropriate. ...


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Europe ramps up rescue fund, may turn to IMF
Tue,29 Nov 2011 10:22 PM PST
Reuters -

photoBRUSSELS/MILAN (Reuters) - Euro zone ministers agreed to ramp up the firepower of their rescue fund, but couldn't say by how much, and may turn to the IMF for more help as a stunning leap in Italy's borrowing costs pushed the region closer to financial disaster. Two years into Europe's sovereign debt crisis, investors are fleeing the euro zone bond market, European banks are dumping government debt, south European banks are bleeding deposits and a recession looms, fuelling doubts about the survival of the single currency. ...


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Britain pulls embassy staff out of Iran: sources
Tue,29 Nov 2011 10:42 PM PST
Reuters -

photoTEHRAN (Reuters) - Britain has evacuated all its diplomatic staff from Iran, Western diplomatic sources told Reuters on Wednesday, a day after protesters stormed and ransacked its embassy and a residential compound. Britain said it was outraged by the attacks and warned of "serious consequences." The U.N. Security Council condemned the attacks "in the strongest terms." U.S. President Barack Obama called on Iran to hold those responsible to account. No comment was immediately available from the British government on the reported withdrawal of embassy staff from Iran. ...


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Cain campaign crumbling after affair allegation
Tue,29 Nov 2011 04:34 PM PST
Reuters -

photoWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential contender Herman Cain told aides on Tuesday he would reassess the viability of his struggling campaign after an Atlanta woman accused him of conducting a 13-year extramarital affair. The allegations could be the end of the political line for Cain, who led the Republican White House race barely more than a month ago but has nosedived in polls after a series of sexual harassment charges and campaign missteps. ...


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U.S., EU mull free trade talks, sign secure trade pact
Tue,29 Nov 2011 04:19 PM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and European Union agreed Tuesday to reduce red tape related to cargo security and pledged to work toward tearing down tariffs and regulatory barriers between the world's largest trading partners. "The leaders have asked to look at all aspects of our relationship and see what we can do to strengthen our economic ties and support good jobs and growth on both sides of the Atlantic," White House international economics adviser Michael Froman told reporters at the end of the annual U.S.-EU Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC). ... Full Story
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Insight: In euro zone crisis, companies plan for the unthinkable
Tue,29 Nov 2011 04:13 PM PST
Reuters -

photoLONDON/BOSTON (Reuters) - When Novo Nordisk's chief financial officer met marketing colleagues last Friday the conversation moved far beyond the usual discussion of sales and performance. Jesper Brandgaard asked a simple, far-reaching question: how would the firm set prices for two pivotal new insulin products if the euro collapsed? The Danish firm, the world's biggest maker of insulin for the treatment of diabetes, sits outside the euro zone but sells into it. ...


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Clinton tells developing world to be wary of donors
Tue,29 Nov 2011 07:24 PM PST
Reuters -

photoBUSAN, South Korea (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged developing nations on Wednesday to be "smart shoppers" on foreign aid, warning that powerful emerging economies such as China may be more interested in exploiting natural resources than promoting real development. Clinton delivered the warning to a global summit on development and aid held in South Korea, where both traditional rich nation donors, cash-rich middle income countries, non-governmental organizations and private sector groups have gathered to discuss the future of the global aid effort. ...


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Facebook settles privacy case with FTC
Tue,29 Nov 2011 05:34 PM PST
Reuters -

photoWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Facebook will be required to get user consent for certain changes to privacy settings as part of a settlement of federal charges that it deceived consumers and forced them to share more personal information than they intended. The settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission will also subject the company, which is reported to preparing a $10 billion initial public offering, to 20 years of independent audits. "I'm the first to admit that we've made a bunch of mistakes," co-founder Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a lengthy post on the company's official blog Tuesday. ...


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Jackson doctor gets 4 years in jail, no probation
Tue,29 Nov 2011 03:27 PM PST
Reuters -

photoLOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, on Tuesday was sentenced to four years in jail without probation for involuntary manslaughter in the pop star's death. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor gave Murray the maximum sentence and said the physician engaged in "money for medicine madness that is simply not acceptable to me." Murray, 58, dressed in a gray suit with purple paisley tie, sat emotionless through the sentencing. ...


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Europe ramps up rescue fund, may turn to IMF
Tue,29 Nov 2011 03:11 PM PST
Reuters -

photoBRUSSELS/MILAN (Reuters) - Euro zone ministers agreed on Tuesday to ramp up the firepower of their rescue fund but couldn't say by how much and raised the possibility of asking the IMF for more help after Italy's borrowing costs hit a euro lifetime high of nearly 8 percent. Two years into Europe's sovereign debt crisis, investors are fleeing the euro zone bond market, European banks are dumping government debt, deposits are draining from south European banks and a looming recession is aggravating the pain, fuelling doubts about the survival of the single currency. ...


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World Bank head sees ripple effects from euro woes
Tue,29 Nov 2011 05:05 PM PST
Reuters -

photoCAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (Reuters) - Europe's debt crisis threatens to undermine consumer confidence and cut off credit to businesses in the rapidly emerging markets that have been bright spots in an otherwise grim global economy, the head of the World Bank warned on Tuesday. "While the European and euro zone problems have to be dealt with primarily by Europe, you've got to be aware of the ripple effects of this and the ripple effects can easily become wave effects," Robert Zoellick, the institution's president, said in a talk with students at Harvard University. ...


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Pressure mounts on Syria's Assad at home and abroad
Tue,29 Nov 2011 04:23 PM PST
Reuters -

photoBEIRUT (Reuters) - Pressure is mounting on President Bashar al-Assad, with growing foreign condemnation of his repression of the Syrian uprising and attacks by armed rebels that his forces appear unable to stamp out. European and Arab diplomats told Reuters the top United Nations human rights forum would announce on Wednesday a special Friday session that was expected to condemn Syria for crimes against humanity. The move is partly designed to put pressure on China and Russia to take a stronger stand against Assad's government. The 47-member U.N. ...


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Iranian protesters storm British diplomatic compounds
Tue,29 Nov 2011 03:30 PM PST
Reuters -

photoTEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian protesters stormed two British diplomatic compounds in Tehran on Tuesday, smashing windows, torching a car and burning the British flag in protest against new sanctions imposed by London. Britain said it was outraged and warned of "serious consequences." The U.N. Security Council condemned the attacks "in the strongest terms." U.S. President Barack Obama said he was disturbed by the incident and called on Iran to hold those responsible to account. ...


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Facebook settles privacy case with FTC
Tue,29 Nov 2011 01:12 PM PST
Reuters -

photoWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Facebook will be required to get user consent for certain changes to privacy settings as part of a settlement of federal charges that it deceived consumers and forced them to share more personal information than they intended. The settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission will also subject the company, which is reported to preparing a $10 billion initial public offering, to 20 years of independent audits. "I'm the first to admit that we've made a bunch of mistakes," co-founder Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a lengthy post on the company's official blog on Tuesday. ...


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Barney Frank says Dodd-Frank likely safe without him
Tue,29 Nov 2011 04:06 PM PST
Reuters -

photoWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Representative Barney Frank hit back at speculation on Tuesday that his departure next year would undermine the sweeping Wall Street reform law he sponsored. Frank announced on Monday he would not seek another term, prompting analysts to wonder how the landmark Dodd-Frank law would fare, as Republicans and Wall Street groups try to tear away at it. "Once (Dodd-Frank) is fully implemented - I think it will be in another year - it is much harder for people to get rid of, because I think it will be popular," the 30-year House veteran told reporters. ...


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American Airlines files for bankruptcy
Tue,29 Nov 2011 02:59 PM PST
Reuters -

photo(Reuters) - American Airlines, the third-largest U.S. carrier, and its parent AMR Corp filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday to cut labor costs in the face of high fuel prices and dampened travel demand. AMR, which replaced its chief executive in the move, had been mired for years in fruitless union negotiations, complaining all the while that it shoulders higher labor costs than rival domestic and foreign carriers that have already restructured in bankruptcy. American Airlines, once the largest U.S. ...


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Cain campaign crumbling after affair allegation
Tue,29 Nov 2011 01:48 PM PST
Reuters -

photoWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential contender Herman Cain told aides on Tuesday he would reassess the viability of his struggling campaign after an Atlanta woman accused him of conducting a 13-year extramarital affair. The allegations could be the end of the political line for Cain, who led the Republican White House race barely more than a month ago but has nosedived in polls after a series of sexual harassment charges and campaign missteps. ...


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Syrian rebel ambush said to kill 3 soldiers
Tue,29 Nov 2011 02:37 PM PST
Reuters -

photoBEIRUT (Reuters) - Rebel forces ambushed an army vehicle in northern Syria on Tuesday, killing three soldiers and capturing two others, Syrian human rights observers said. Syria's northern neighbor Turkey said it feared there could be an exodus of Syrians if the violence got worse, and that border states might have to create a buffer zone. Russia in contrast warned major powers against interference. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad faces mounting economic sanctions over what a U.N. report said on Monday was systematic murder, torture and rape ordered from the top. ...


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Insight: In euro zone crisis, companies plan for the unthinkable
Tue,29 Nov 2011 02:30 PM PST
Reuters -

photoLONDON/BOSTON (Reuters) - When Novo Nordisk's chief financial officer met marketing colleagues last Friday the conversation moved far beyond the usual discussion of sales and performance. Jesper Brandgaard asked a simple, far-reaching question: how would the firm set prices for two pivotal new insulin products if the euro collapsed? The Danish firm, the world's biggest maker of insulin for the treatment of diabetes, sits outside the euro zone but sells into it. ...


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EU trade holding up, but risks ahead: De Gucht
Tue,29 Nov 2011 02:37 PM PST
Reuters -

photoWASHINGTON (Reuters) - European Union Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said Tuesday that European import demand was holding up well despite the debt crisis, but trade could fall suddenly if a recession takes hold. "When you get into a crisis you can have a very sudden fall of trade," De Gucht told reporters in a joint press conference with U.S. officials at the conclusion of the annual U.S.-EU Transatlantic Economic Council. "This is not yet the case. I think it's very important to stress that," De Gucht added. ...


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Biden swoops into Iraq as U.S. troop pullout nears
Tue,29 Nov 2011 02:38 PM PST
Reuters -

photoBAGHDAD (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday in a visit to mark the end of the U.S. war in Iraq as troops complete withdrawal by year-end. Biden's trip spotlights the fulfillment of a key pledge by President Barack Obama as he campaigns for re-election in 2012, winding down an unpopular war at a time when most Americans are preoccupied with the weak economy back home. Marking the end of the drawdown, Biden will address U.S. forces in a ceremony to "commemorate the sacrifices and accomplishments of U.S. and Iraqi troops," a White House official said. ...


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Exclusive: PE firm eyes buyout for Yahoo's U.S. business
Tue,29 Nov 2011 05:30 AM PST
Reuters -

photoNEW YORK (Reuters) - Thomas H. Lee Partners is interested in buying the U.S. operations of Yahoo Inc, breaking away from other bidders that are for now eyeing either a minority stake or teaming up with the Internet giant's partners in Asia, sources familiar with the matter said. THL is hoping to do a leveraged buyout of Yahoo's U.S. business - which could be worth $5 billion to $6 billion - and draw on its experience running other media assets such as Nielsen Co, Clear Channel and Univision to turn around the ailing company, the sources said. ...


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Islamists expect gains as Egypt counts votes
Tue,29 Nov 2011 03:11 PM PST
Reuters -

photoCAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptians have voted in a parliamentary election that could bring Islamists closer to power, though the army generals who took over from President Hosni Mubarak have yet to step aside. The Muslim Brotherhood, expected to do well in the marathon vote whose first stage drew millions to the polls, said the new parliament should form a government, setting it at odds with the military council which has only just named a new prime minister. The election for the lower house is due to be held over three phases, concluding in early January. ...


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Norwegian mass killer ruled insane, likely to avoid
Tue,29 Nov 2011 08:49 AM PST
Reuters -

photoOSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik may avoid jail but end up in a psychiatric institution indefinitely after court-appointed experts concluded he is criminally insane, prosecutors said Tuesday. In Norway's worst attacks since World War Two, Breivik killed 77 people in July by bombing central Oslo and then gunning down dozens of mostly teenagers at a summer camp of the ruling Labor Party's youth wing. ...


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Facebook gearing up for 2012 IPO: source
Tue,29 Nov 2011 02:43 AM PST
Reuters -

photo(Reuters) - Facebook, the world's largest Internet social network, is preparing for a initial public stock offering next year, according to a source familiar with the matter. Facebook is exploring raising $10 billion, the Wall Street Journal said on Monday. It hopes the offering will value the company at more than $100 billion, according to WSJ, which first reported the story. ...


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S&P may cut France rating outlook: paper
Tue,29 Nov 2011 04:46 AM PST
Reuters -

photoPARIS (Reuters) - Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's could change its outlook on France's AAA rating to negative within days, a French newspaper reported on Monday, adding to fears France may lose its position among the top rank of sovereign borrowers. S&P declined to comment on the report, based on anonymous sources. If true, it would signal that the risk of a downgrade has risen after months of concern about the impact on French public finances of sluggish growth and the costs of the euro zone debt crisis. ...


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Slice of missing MF Global customer cash may be in Britain
Mon,28 Nov 2011 08:56 PM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - About $200 million in customer funds missing at MF Global may have surfaced at JP Morgan Chase in Britain, the New York Times said, citing people briefed on the matter. During MF Global's last days, it overdrew an account at JPMorgan, the newspaper said, citing a person close to the matter. MF Global transferred roughly $200 million in the days before the firm filed for bankruptcy, the paper reported. MF Global filed for Chapter 11 protection on October 31 after the New York-based company revealed it had made a $6.3 billion bet on European sovereign debt, spooking investors. ... Full Story
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Fitch warns of U.S. downgrade if no budget deal in 2013
Mon,28 Nov 2011 04:56 PM PST
Reuters -

photoNEW YORK (Reuters) - Fitch Ratings gave the United States until 2013 to come up with a "credible plan" to tackle its ballooning budget deficit or risk a downgrade of the country's coveted AAA rating. The ratings agency on Monday revised to negative from stable the outlook on the U.S. credit rating after a special congressional committee failed last week to agree on at least $1.2 trillion in deficit-reduction measures. ...


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Pakistan PM: No more "business as usual" with U.S.
Mon,28 Nov 2011 06:34 PM PST
Reuters -

photoISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's prime minister ruled out "business as usual" with the United States on Monday after a NATO attack killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and the army threatened to curtail cooperation over the war in Afghanistan. Saturday's incident on Pakistan's border with Afghanistan has complicated U.S. attempts to ease a crisis in relations with Islamabad and stabilize the region before foreign combat troops leave Afghanistan. "Business as usual will not be there," Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani told CNN when asked if ties with the United States would continue. ...


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Analysis: After 10 years, China's WTO ride could get bumpier
Mon,28 Nov 2011 09:55 PM PST
Reuters -

photoBEIJING (Reuters) - Rising trade protectionism and frustration over its domestic subsidies spell trouble for China and could lead to more friction within the World Trade Organization than Beijing has grown accustomed to over the past decade. On the eve of China accession to the WTO 10 years ago this December, naysayers warned that the country could falter under the demands of opening up its economy. Now there is little debate that it has been a boon in making China the world's largest exporter and the second largest trading nation. But China's next decade in the trade group could be tougher. ...


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Judge blocks Citigroup-SEC settlement
Mon,28 Nov 2011 02:58 PM PST
Reuters -

photoNEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge angrily threw out Citigroup Inc's proposed $285 million settlement over the sale of toxic mortgage debt, excoriating the top U.S. market regulator over how it reaches corporate fraud settlements. U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said that in agreeing to the settlement, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission appeared uninterested in actually learning what Citigroup did wrong. He also said the regulator erred by asking him to ignore the interests of the public. ...


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AT&T's T-Mobile deal could be affected by election
Mon,28 Nov 2011 07:18 PM PST
Reuters -

photoNEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - The chances of an AT&T-T-Mobile merger grow dimmer by the day, but there may yet be hope on the horizon for the telecommunications giants -- next year's election. The telecom industry has benefited from a change in administration before: In the 1990s, the Federal Communications Commission opposed SBC's acquisition of AT&T during a Democratic administration, only to later approve it under a Republication administration. ...


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Exclusive: Regulators doubt MF Global shortfall estimate
Mon,28 Nov 2011 03:37 PM PST
Reuters -

photoWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators and law enforcement believe a bankruptcy trustee has overestimated the amount of customer funds missing at MF Global, according to sources familiar with the matter. One source said on Monday that regulators believe at least $220 million is being double-counted by the trustee, taking the total shortfall at the brokerage to just under $1 billion. A law enforcement source told Reuters last week that federal investigators also doubt the $1.2 billion figure. ...


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Obama tells EU to take decisive action on debt
Mon,28 Nov 2011 02:53 PM PST
Reuters -

photoWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama pressed European Union officials on Monday to act quickly and decisively to resolve their sovereign debt crisis, which the White House said was weighing on the U.S. economy. After meeting European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Obama said he was keen to see the euro zone crisis end. "I communicated to them that the United States stands ready to do our part to help them resolve this issue. This is of huge importance to our economy," Obama, seated next to the EU leaders, told reporters. ...


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Germany, France press for coercive euro zone debt rules
Mon,28 Nov 2011 01:07 PM PST
Reuters -

photoBERLIN/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Germany and France stepped up a drive on Monday for coercive powers to reject euro zone members' budgets that breach EU rules, and the United States kept up the drumbeat of demands from the rest of the world for decisive action. The OECD rich nations' economic think-tank said the European Central Bank should cut interest rates and abandon its reluctance to step up purchases of government bonds in order to restore confidence in the euro area, which now posed the main risk to the world economy. The ECB shows no sign of doing so yet. It bought 8. ...


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Facebook plans IPO between April and June: report
Mon,28 Nov 2011 03:49 PM PST
Reuters -

photo(Reuters) - Facebook Inc is looking to go public between April and June 2012 with a valuation of over $100 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The social media giant is considering raising as much as $10 billion in its IPO, the report said. Sources familiar with the matter said the company has not made any decision over which banks will be involved in the IPO. Facebook's CFO David Ebersman is in talks with Silicon Valley bankers about an IPO, but founder CEO Mark Zuckerberg has not decided on any terms of the IPO, the Journal said. ...


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Wall Street ends 7-day slide
Mon,28 Nov 2011 02:39 PM PST
Reuters -

photoNEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rebounded from seven days of losses on Monday as investors used the latest effort from European leaders to resolve the region's debt crisis as an opportunity to cover short positions. Trading was light, a sign skepticism remains high. Just 6.8 billion shares changed hands during the day on U.S. exchanges, below the daily average of 8 billion shares. After the market's close, Fitch Ratings revised to negative the outlook on the United States' AAA credit rating after a special congressional committee failed to agree on at least $1.2 trillion in budget cuts. ...


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Barney Frank, author of Wall St reform, to retire
Mon,28 Nov 2011 12:13 PM PST
Reuters -

photo(Reuters) - Barney Frank announced his retirement from Congress Monday, leaving fellow Democrats without their foremost defender of a landmark financial-regulation overhaul that Republicans and Wall Street groups want to repeal. Elected to the House of Representatives in 1980, Frank was one of the first openly gay politicians to serve at a national level. In an era of carefully crafted political images, he has stood out for his rumpled demeanor and scathing wit. "Trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table," he told a detractor in 2009. ...


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Pakistan PM: No more "business as usual" with U.S.
Mon,28 Nov 2011 02:45 PM PST
Reuters -

photoISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's prime minister ruled out "business as usual" with the United States on Monday after a NATO attack killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and the army threatened to curtail cooperation over the war in Afghanistan. Saturday's incident on Pakistan's border with Afghanistan has complicated U.S. attempts to ease a crisis in relations with Islamabad and stabilize the region before foreign combat troops leave Afghanistan. "Business as usual will not be there," Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani told CNN when asked if ties with the United States would continue. ...


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