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Saturday, March 31, 2012 12:01 AM PDT

Today's Reuters World News Headlines - Yahoo! News: German wage deal agreed, averts public-sector strike World record $640 million lottery numbers drawn Analysis: Saudi summer oil burn should decline this year Security breach hits U.S. card processors, banks UAE closes Dubai office of U.S. pro-democracy group In Myanmar, voters prepare for clash of symbols Israeli envoy praises Argentina for 1994 bombing probe New York police accused of "uncivilized" arrest of diplomat Lawyer says U.S. blocks investigation of Afghan massacre U.S., EU blast Argentina's trade restrictions at WTO U.S., EU blast Argentina's trade restrictions at WTO Mali coup leader seeks help as rebels seize towns Security breach hits U.S. card processors, banks With U.S. okay, Cuban agent returns home to see brother Clinton, Saudi's Abdullah discuss world oil balance Documents show debate over handling of 9/11 remains U.S. drones attack militants in Pakistan, Yemen U.N.'s Ban to appoint new judges for Cambodia tribunal Mexican presidential favorite vows to restore peace Yemen gas pipeline blown up, output halted after drone attack Obama says enough world oil to crack down on Iran Exclusive: Iran helps Syria ship oil to China: sources Uruguay wants to barter rice for oil with Iran Lawyer says U.S. blocks investigation of Afghan massacre Supreme Court takes up healthcare in secrecy Yemen LNG pipeline blown up, output halted after drone attack UK says report of Afghan plot to kill envoys is credible Hungarian president vows to stay on Analysis: Storm clouds gather over Monti's Italy reform drive U.S., EU blast Argentina's trade restrictions at WTO Hezbollah says world no longer seeks overthrow of Syria's Assad Syrian army must pull back first under Annan plan Expedia files Google complaint to EU regulators U.S. says has had good talks with South Korea over Iran sanctions White House: oil market remains tight Spain reveals deep cuts to meet deficit goal Exclusive: Germany makes last-ditch attempt to save transaction tax In Toulouse suburb, "scooter killer" is "one of us" Analysis: Portugal ponders political price of good health Flaherty says budget reflects fragile economy German wage deal agreed, averts public-sector strike Fri,30 Mar 2012 10:20 PM PDT Reuters - POTSDAM, Germany (Reuters) - Two million German public-sector workers will get a pay rise of 6.3 percent over a 24-month period, according to the government official leading the talks, ending a labor dispute that disrupted services across Germany in recent weeks. Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, who had led the negotiations with the Verdi union on behalf of the government, announced the breakthrough shortly before 7 a.m. local time (1 a.m. EDT) on Saturday after all-night negotiations in Potsdam, a suburb of Berlin. ... Full Story Top World record $640 million lottery numbers drawn Fri,30 Mar 2012 10:09 PM PDT Reuters - ATLANTA (Reuters) - Officials drew the numbers for a record jackpot of $640 million in the Mega Millions lottery on Friday night, but had yet to announce the winners - or single lucky winner. The winning numbers, announced at the drawing in Atlanta, were 2-4-23-38-46 and Mega Ball 23. It was expected to take hours to identify the winner or winners due to the sheer number of the $1 tickets sold. Odds of winning the entire jackpot are 175 million to one, said Margaret DeFrancisco, president and chief executive of the Georgia Lottery Corporation. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Saudi summer oil burn should decline this year Fri,30 Mar 2012 08:40 PM PDT Reuters - DUBAI/KHOBAR (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is likely to burn less crude in its power plants this summer thanks to rising output from dedicated gas fields and gas that would be associated with any increase in oil output to make up for lower Iranian production. Last summer the world's leading oil exporter burned an average of 730,000 barrels a day (bpd) of crude for electricity to keep the population cool in the hottest months from July to the end of September, official figures indicate. ... Full Story Top Security breach hits U.S. card processors, banks Fri,30 Mar 2012 06:29 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - The U.S. Secret Service is investigating a major cyber intrusion at an Atlanta-based payment processor that could expose millions of MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover cardholders to fraudulent charges. Processor Global Payments Inc said on Friday it had found "unauthorized access" into its system early in March and notified law enforcement and financial institutions. ... Full Story Top UAE closes Dubai office of U.S. pro-democracy group Fri,30 Mar 2012 05:54 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates has closed the Dubai office of the National Democratic Institute, a U.S.-funded pro-democracy group that was the subject of a crackdown in Egypt, the U.S. State Department said on Friday. "We understand that the UAE government has closed the NDI office in Dubai," said State Department spokesman Noel Clay, offering no further details but defending the group's work. "NDI is a respected organization that has been working across the region and beyond to promote civil society, development and democratic values. ... Full Story Top In Myanmar, voters prepare for clash of symbols Fri,30 Mar 2012 05:46 PM PDT Reuters - YANGON (Reuters) - As Myanmar prepares to vote in only its third election in 50 years, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party faces a challenge that seems at odds with her global celebrity and long fight for democracy: brand recognition. "I'm worried that some people think that this represents our party," says Dr May Win Myint, a candidate in her National League for Democracy (NLD), pointing to the logo of the rival National Democratic Force (NDF), created by former NLD members. ... Full Story Top Israeli envoy praises Argentina for 1994 bombing probe Fri,30 Mar 2012 05:43 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Israel's U.N. envoy on Friday praised Argentina for reinvigorating its investigation of a deadly 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that Argentine authorities have blamed on Iran. "I think they're re-energizing" their work on the case, Israel's U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor told reporters. "In the past there was not a real motivation to check (the facts)," he said. "I see it differently today. One should give them credit for it. I see it differently today on the Argentinean side. ... Full Story Top New York police accused of "uncivilized" arrest of diplomat Fri,30 Mar 2012 05:03 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A senior Caribbean diplomat has accused the New York City Police Department of "flagrant violation" of the rules of diplomatic immunity and privileges by aggressively arresting the ambassador of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The New York police countered by saying that the envoy from the tiny island nation refused to identify himself after pushing past a security barrier intended to protect Israel's diplomatic headquarters in New York City from attack. In a letter to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, Delano Bart, ambassador of St. ... Full Story Top Lawyer says U.S. blocks investigation of Afghan massacre Fri,30 Mar 2012 05:00 PM PDT Reuters - SEATTLE (Reuters) - The lawyer defending the U.S. soldier accused of murdering 17 Afghan civilians claims U.S. authorities are blocking his ability to investigate the incident. John Henry Browne, the lawyer for Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, said U.S. forces in Afghanistan have prevented his team from interviewing injured civilians at a hospital in Kandahar, and are allowing other potential witnesses to scatter, making it difficult to track them down. ... Full Story Top U.S., EU blast Argentina's trade restrictions at WTO Fri,30 Mar 2012 04:59 PM PDT Reuters - GENEVA (Reuters) - Argentina came under a barrage of criticism at the World Trade Organization on Friday, where the United States, European Union, Japan and 10 other countries accused it of tying up imports in red tape. Argentina's center-left government has imposed a raft of sometimes unorthodox import restrictions in recent years as it battles to shield local industry and its trade surplus, which shrank 11 percent in 2011 to $10.4 billion. On February 1, President Cristina Fernandez's administration imposed a new system to pre-approve, or reject, nearly every purchase from abroad. ... Full Story Top U.S., EU blast Argentina's trade restrictions at WTO Fri,30 Mar 2012 04:55 PM PDT Reuters - GENEVA (Reuters) - Argentina came under a barrage of criticism at the World Trade Organization on Friday, where the United States, European Union, Japan and 10 other countries accused it of tying up imports in red tape. Argentina's center-left government has imposed a raft of sometimes unorthodox import restrictions in recent years as it battles to shield local industry and its trade surplus, which shrank 11 percent in 2011 to $10.4 billion. On February 1, President Cristina Fernandez's administration imposed a new system to pre-approve, or reject, nearly every purchase from abroad. ... Full Story Top Mali coup leader seeks help as rebels seize towns Fri,30 Mar 2012 04:47 PM PDT Reuters - BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali's junta leader appealed for outside help to secure the West African country on Friday as separatist Tuareg rebels took the strategic northern town of Kidal and advanced towards new targets further south. Arms spilling out of Libya from last year's conflict have bolstered a northern rebellion in Mali. President Amadou Toumani Toure was facing rising unpopularity over his failure to halt the rebellion before he was toppled in last week's coup. ... Full Story Top Security breach hits U.S. card processors, banks Fri,30 Mar 2012 04:39 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Four giant card-payment processors and large U.S. banks that issue debit and credit cards were hit by a data-security breach after third-party services provider Global Payments Inc discovered its systems were compromised by unauthorized access. It was not immediately clear how many cardholders became victims of the breach, which affected MasterCard Inc, Visa Inc, American Express Co and Discover Financial Services, as well as banks and other franchises that issue cards bearing their logos. U.S. ... Full Story Top With U.S. okay, Cuban agent returns home to see brother Fri,30 Mar 2012 04:13 PM PDT Reuters - HAVANA (Reuters) - A Cuban agent on parole in the United States after 13 years behind bars for his activities in an espionage ring has returned temporarily to the communist island to visit his critically ill brother, state television reported on Friday. Rene Gonzalez, one of what Cuba calls the "Five Heroes," returned on Friday "on a private family visit," it said. U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard granted Gonzalez his request for the visit on March 19 with the proviso that he had to obtain permission from the U.S. government and return within 15 days. ... Full Story Top Clinton, Saudi's Abdullah discuss world oil balance Fri,30 Mar 2012 04:10 PM PDT Reuters - RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed Saudi Arabia's role in maintaining a stable world oil supply in talks on Friday with Saudi King Abdullah, a U.S. official said. The United States and Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, have been strategic allies since the 1940s, but discord over how to respond to Arab popular uprisings strained relations last year. Although the two states have mended the rift, differences persist on regional policy and how to tackle high oil prices. ... Full Story Top Documents show debate over handling of 9/11 remains Fri,30 Mar 2012 04:07 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cremated remains that may have included those of victims of the September 11 attacks were incinerated and sent to a landfill despite an internal debate in which some officials at the main U.S. military mortuary recommended the ashes be dispersed at sea. Documents released on Friday show that nearly one year after the September 11, 2001 attacks, military and civilian personnel responsible for the mortuary at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware engaged in an lengthy e-mail exchange over what to do with 1,321 portions of remains. ... Full Story Top U.S. drones attack militants in Pakistan, Yemen Fri,30 Mar 2012 04:03 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-operated drones carried out deadly missile strikes against suspected al Qaeda targets in Pakistan and Yemen on Friday, U.S. government sources said. There was no connection between the targets in the two locations, other than the fact that both sets of militants who were attacked were believed to have had some connection with al Qaeda affiliates, according to the sources. Reports from Aden said that at least five suspected al Qaeda militants traveling in a car in southern Yemen's Shabwa province were killed when a drone strike set their vehicle on fire. ... Full Story Top U.N.'s Ban to appoint new judges for Cambodia tribunal Fri,30 Mar 2012 03:52 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on Friday that he would appoint two new judges for Cambodia's troubled U.N.-backed Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal and urged the government of the Southeast Asian nation to cooperate with them. Swiss judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet quit as reserve co-investigating judge of the tribunal earlier this month, while his predecessor, German judge Siegfried Blunk, left the post in October. ... Full Story Top Mexican presidential favorite vows to restore peace Fri,30 Mar 2012 03:46 PM PDT Reuters - GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexican presidential front-runner Enrique Pena Nieto vowed to overcome the drug-fueled violence engulfing his country as the campaign for the July 1 election kicked off with the ruling conservatives struggling to avoid defeat. Pena Nieto, the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party's (PRI) candidate, is favored to succeed President Felipe Calderon, whose term in office has been dominated by the government's battle to crack down on brutal drug gangs. ... Full Story Top Yemen gas pipeline blown up, output halted after drone attack Fri,30 Mar 2012 03:38 PM PDT Reuters - ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) - A U.S. drone attack killed at least five suspected al Qaeda militants in southern Yemen on Friday, and gunmen retaliated by blowing up a gas pipeline, forcing LNG output to be stopped, officials and energy workers said. The drone set fire to the militants' car in the southern province of Shabwa and killed all its occupants, one official said. One bystander was also killed and five were wounded, officials and residents told Reuters. ... Full Story Top Obama says enough world oil to crack down on Iran Fri,30 Mar 2012 03:20 PM PDT Reuters - BURLINGTON, Vt./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama vowed on Friday to forge ahead with tough sanctions on Iran, saying there was enough oil in the world market - including emergency stockpiles - to allow countries to cut Iranian imports. In his decision, required by a sanctions law he signed in December, Obama said increased production by some countries as well as "the existence of strategic reserves" helped him come to the conclusion that sanctions can advance. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: Iran helps Syria ship oil to China: sources Fri,30 Mar 2012 03:15 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Iran is helping its ally Syria defy Western sanctions by providing a vessel to ship Syrian oil to a state-run company in China, potentially giving the government of President Bashar al-Assad a financial boost worth an estimated $80 million. Iran, itself a target of Western sanctions, is among Syria's closest allies and has promised to do all it can to support Assad, recently praising his handling of the year-long uprising against Assad in which thousands have been killed. ... Full Story Top Uruguay wants to barter rice for oil with Iran Fri,30 Mar 2012 03:15 PM PDT Reuters - MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) - Uruguay will ask Iran if the South American country can export rice in exchange for oil, the government said on Friday. Iran used to be a major destination for Uruguayan rice but the impact of U.S. and EU sanctions, aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear ambitions, has put a strain on financing. "If Iran is willing to barter oil for rice we will do it and we will take out currency from (the operation)," said Agriculture Minister Tabare Aguerre. Uruguay is Latin America's top rice exporter and an ally to the United States in the region. ... Full Story Top Lawyer says U.S. blocks investigation of Afghan massacre Fri,30 Mar 2012 03:05 PM PDT Reuters - SEATTLE (Reuters) - The lawyer defending the U.S. soldier accused of murdering 17 Afghan civilians claims U.S. authorities are blocking his ability to investigate the incident. John Henry Browne, the lawyer for Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, said U.S. forces in Afghanistan have prevented his team from interviewing injured civilians at a hospital in Kandahar, and are allowing other potential witnesses to scatter, making it difficult to track them down. "My gut is the reason is they don't have much of a case," said Browne at a press conference at his downtown Seattle office on Friday. ... Full Story Top Supreme Court takes up healthcare in secrecy Fri,30 Mar 2012 02:52 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Supreme Court justices on Friday held closed-door deliberations on President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul law, likely casting preliminary votes on how they will eventually rule on their highest-profile case in years. In an institution known for keeping its secrets, no leaks are likely before formal opinions have been written and announced from the bench. That is not expected to occur until late June, when the court is set to go on its regular summer recess. ... Full Story Top Yemen LNG pipeline blown up, output halted after drone attack Fri,30 Mar 2012 02:13 PM PDT Reuters - ADEN (Reuters) - A U.S. drone attack killed at least five suspected al Qaeda militants in southern Yemen on Friday, and gunmen retaliated by blowing up an LNG pipeline, forcing output to be stopped, officials and energy workers said. The drone set fire to the militants' car in the southern province of Shabwa and killed all its occupants, one official said. One bystander was also killed and five were wounded, officials and residents told Reuters. ... Full Story Top UK says report of Afghan plot to kill envoys is credible Fri,30 Mar 2012 02:00 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's outgoing ambassador to Afghanistan said on Friday there was "some credibility" to reports that an Afghan governor plotted to kill the U.S., French and British envoys to Kabul in 2009, but that there was not enough evidence for a trial. U.S. investigators allege former governor Ghulam Qawis Abu Bakr ordered a 2009 suicide bombing that killed two U.S. soldiers, and that he plotted to kill the U.S., French and British ambassadors in November 2009, the Wall Street Journal said on Thursday. ... Full Story Top Hungarian president vows to stay on Fri,30 Mar 2012 01:58 PM PDT Reuters - BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian President Pal Schmitt resisted pressure on Friday to quit, saying there was no link between a plagiarism row that cost him his doctorate and his role as head of state, pledging to defend his reputation by writing a new thesis. The controversy comes at a sensitive time for Hungary as it tries to resolve a lengthy dispute with the European Union on contested new laws to unlock stalled talks on financial support. ... Full Story Top Analysis: Storm clouds gather over Monti's Italy reform drive Fri,30 Mar 2012 01:27 PM PDT Reuters - ROME (Reuters) - Storm clouds are gathering over Mario Monti's efforts to transform the Italian economy, with his approval ratings dropping, mounting protests against his reforms and a damaging row with the parties that sustain him in parliament. Monti shot out of the blocks after being appointed prime minister in November and quickly implemented tough austerity measures to fend off the debt crisis. But he now risks running into political quicksands that will slow down and weaken the much harder task of reviving a notoriously stagnant economy. ... Full Story Top U.S., EU blast Argentina's trade restrictions at WTO Fri,30 Mar 2012 01:13 PM PDT Reuters - GENEVA (Reuters) - Argentina came under a barrage of criticism at the World Trade Organization on Friday, where the United States, European Union, Japan and 10 other countries accused it of tying imports up in red tape. Argentina's center-left government has imposed a raft of sometimes unorthodox import restrictions in recent years as it battles to shield local industry and its trade surplus, which shrank 11 percent in 2011 to $10.4 billion. Starting February 1, President Cristina Fernandez's administration imposed a new system to pre-approve, or reject, nearly every purchase from abroad. ... Full Story Top Hezbollah says world no longer seeks overthrow of Syria's Assad Fri,30 Mar 2012 01:00 PM PDT Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's Hezbollah group said on Friday Arab and international efforts to end the conflict in Syria have moved away from demanding that President Bashar al-Assad steps down and now appear focused on achieving political dialogue. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, a key Assad ally, also said rebels who have fought a year-long campaign to oust Assad were incapable of toppling him and that the option of foreign military intervention in Syria was a "closed subject". ... Full Story Top Syrian army must pull back first under Annan plan Fri,30 Mar 2012 01:00 PM PDT Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian artillery hit parts of Homs city and at least 37 people were killed in clashes around Syria on Friday, opposition activists said, as peace envoy Kofi Annan told President Bashar al-Assad his forces must be first to cease fire and withdraw. "The deadline is now," Annan's spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said in Geneva. "We expect him to implement this plan immediately." An army pullback to bases would permit a safe return to mass, peaceful protest, said anti-government activists. But there was no sign of any risk-free demonstrations on Friday. ... Full Story Top Expedia files Google complaint to EU regulators Fri,30 Mar 2012 12:29 PM PDT Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Online travel agency Expedia on Friday accused Google of breaching EU rules with a formal complaint to EU antitrust regulators as it joined a dozen other firms that have taken their case to the European Commission in the last two years. The EU watchdog is now investigating the world's most popular search engine after rivals, including Microsoft, accused Google of abusing its dominant position in the market for Web search engines. ... Full Story Top U.S. says has had good talks with South Korea over Iran sanctions Fri,30 Mar 2012 12:13 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House officials have had "constructive discussions" with South Korea on reducing their imports of Iranian oil, a senior Obama administration official said on Friday. President Barack Obama decided on Friday there is enough oil in global markets to move forward with sanctions on countries that do not reduce imports of Iran's oil. South Korea, the fourth largest buyer of Iranian crude, is one of 12 countries, including China and India, that could face U.S. sanctions unless they reduce the shipments. ... Full Story Top White House: oil market remains tight Fri,30 Mar 2012 12:13 PM PDT Reuters - BURLINGTON, VT (Reuters) - The White House said on Friday the oil market remained tight after supply disruptions in several parts of the world, but the Obama administration determined supplies were sufficient to press ahead with sanctions on Iran. "A series of production disruptions in South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Nigeria, and the North Sea have removed oil from the market," the White House said in a statement. ... Full Story Top Spain reveals deep cuts to meet deficit goal Fri,30 Mar 2012 12:08 PM PDT Reuters - MADRID (Reuters) - Spain announced deep cuts to its central government budget on Friday as it battles to convince European partners and debt markets it can rein in its budget deficit in the face of growing complaints from the public. The government said it would make savings of 27 billion euros ($36 billion) for the rest of 2012 from the central government budget, equivalent to around 2.5 percent of gross domestic product. The figure includes tax rises and spending cuts of around 15 billion euros announced in December. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: Germany makes last-ditch attempt to save transaction tax Fri,30 Mar 2012 12:04 PM PDT Reuters - COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Germany made a last ditch attempt on Friday to salvage the prospect of a financial transaction tax in Europe by proposing to apply the charge initially only to trading in company stock, but still faced resistance to its plans. A document circulated at a meeting of EU ministers and obtained by Reuters describes a two-stage approach of advancing towards a "comprehensive financial transaction tax", with the first step being a scaled-down levy. ... Full Story Top In Toulouse suburb, "scooter killer" is "one of us" Fri,30 Mar 2012 12:02 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - In the neighborhood where Mohamed Merah grew up, and was last seen joking with friends days after he had killed three French soldiers in a pair of shootings, the message to outsiders is clear: he was one of our own, no matter what he did. The self-styled Islamist militant tore a wound in France's fragile sense of community when he gunned down the soldiers, sons of North African immigrant families like his own, and then a rabbi and three Jewish children - all in the name of al Qaeda. For days, Toulouse lived in fear of the "scooter killer". ... Full Story Top Analysis: Portugal ponders political price of good health Fri,30 Mar 2012 11:53 AM PDT Reuters - LISBON (Reuters) - To get an idea of the enormous financial strains on Europe's health care sector, put yourself in the shoes of Professor Joao Alvaro Correia da Cunha. As head of North Lisbon hospital centre, one of Portugal's largest, da Cunha has already slashed salaries by 20 percent and shed 150 staff as part of cuts demanded by international lenders in return for bailing out the government to the tune of 78 billion euros. He is under orders to keep cutting. Yet da Cunha, a doctor for 43 years, is not ready to compromise on his calling to heal the sick. ... Full Story Top Flaherty says budget reflects fragile economy Fri,30 Mar 2012 11:46 AM PDT Reuters - TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's Conservative government chose to make only moderate spending cuts in its 2012-13 budget because the global economic recovery is still uncertain and could be shaken by a shock from Europe, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Friday. "The key here is moderation ... The world economic recovery is fragile. We could have more shocks from Greece and so on, so I think it's important that we act in a moderate way," he told reporters after a speech in Toronto. ... Full Story Top

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